Tempus Fugit
by yncarn8
Summary: A Most Unlikely Hero - Volume 3 - Sequel to Pygmalion. Barclay's latest project goes horribly wrong and strands Data, Geordi and Taryn in Victorian London. How far will he go to rescue them? How far will Data and Geordi go to save the Federation? - Chapter 29 - Our heroes finally face their Waterloo...
1. Prologue & Chapter 1

I own nothing, so should Paramount sue me they'd get sod all, but all the same I wish to state I do not own any characters from Star Trek be they the original series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager or Enterprise. I am merely borrowing them for a while and promise to give them a wash in warm soapy water before I return them. I am not making any financial gain from this story.

However, Taryn Prior is mine along with the many other original characters in this story.

I am aware of the series of licensed books that cover the same ground as this story, but if you are a nerdy Trekker like me with a lot of time on your hands you may also know there is historical information within the Star Trek Online MMRPG and the graphic novel, Countdown which launched the Movie reboot, all of which contains conflicts in plot and timeline. I have also frequently used the websites Memory Alpha and Memory Beta in researching this story, they've been invaluable. In the formation of this story I have drawn inspiration from all these sources and therefore I have had to take some liberties including diabolical ones in terms of timeline. I have also made some changes purely because I felt like it. Call it artistic licence. I'm aware these additional sources are not considered canon per se, if you consider them canon, then this story is AU.

I haven't supplied any references for the episodes or movies used as sources in the story, but if you'd like to know where I got something from, drop me a line and I'll do my best to answer.

This story overlaps slightly with the end of Pygmalion and I was tempted to change the title to "Three Pon Farrs and a Funeral" for reasons that will become apparent. As you may guess from the title it involves time travel so I hope it won't get too confusing.

Finally, this story is very nearly complete and novel length so expect regular updates. I just have a little more work to do on some of the later chapters and I expect it to be 30 Chapters long. Each chapter is at least 4000 words so you should get a big chunk of plot each update at least.

And yes, I'm still an anal geek.

Hope you enjoy it.

 **P** **rologue**

 _2381_

 _Seven days after the Hyper-subspace transport test_

Captain Picard's expression was grim as he stepped forward to address the small gathering in the torpedo bay. "This is always among the saddest duties a ship's Captain has to perform. It's time to say farewell to two officers, two friends that have had an impact beyond calculation on all our lives."

Data and Geordi stepped forward to close the torpedo tube. They were both squeezed together inside, his cheek resting against her head as she lay snuggled into his shoulder. Her hand upon his chest over his motionless heart and his hand covering hers. Where they not in dress uniform and so terribly cold and still you could think they were asleep.

"We honour and celebrate their lives, given in the line of duty. Reginald Endicott Barclay the Third gave his life in an act of bravery and valour to save a fellow officer having already saved the Enterprise. Taryn Boudicca Prior died as she lived, defending the life of another. We commend their mortal remains to the Earth's sun. Together, as they would have wanted." The Captain intoned.

The officers watched as the torpedo locked into the mechanism and was carried towards the launch tube. They turned to the view port, along with the rest of the crew that were gathered by windows in forward areas of the ship. The torpedo launched and silently traveled through space in an arc before vanishing into the photosphere, leaving a solar flare in its wake that barely registered on the ships sensors.

"Bon voyage mes amis." Picard added softly.

 _2366_

 _Fifteen years before the Hyper-subspace transport test_

"Good evening Lieutenant." Guinan smiled. "Can I get you anything?"

"Um…m…milk please, warm milk?" the unfamiliar face asked, avoiding eye contact. She smiled as she prepared his drink, appraising him out of the corner of her eye.

"New in town?" she asked.

"Uh, I just t…transferred here f…from the Zhukov." he stated, fidgeting with his hands.

She nodded. Her questions were clearly making him feel awkward and that was the last thing she wanted any of her patrons to feel. She'd met others like him, although rarely in Starfleet uniform. With the shy and reticent sometimes listening had to include watching and this one looked unguarded, an easy read to stretch those powers of observation she'd neglected for a while. He was in a mustard uniform, narrowing things down somewhat. " _Not security_ ," she thought as she looked at his eyes. " _He's cerebral, intelligent, you'd almost expect to see that face in teal_." she mused. " _Besides, he looks fit, but not quite fit enough for Worf's standards_." She put his drink in front of him and he acknowledged her with a shy half smile, again without eye contact. " _Operations maybe? Too shy for the Bridge, perhaps Sensor Control or Communications…No. Engineering, he's one of Geordi's boys_." she realized. "My name is Guinan, I run this place."

"Barclay…Lieutenant Reginald Barclay." he replied awkwardly.

A light flashed somewhere in Guinan's memory, but she couldn't quite pin it down. She looked at him again as he sipped his milk and gazed into the middle distance. " _You are a dreamer Mr Barclay_." she pondered. " _No wedding ring, not bad looking either. What are you dreaming of? Beautiful women, handsome men, a well maintained impulse engine… What floats your boat?_ " she wondered. He turned as the doors opened and watched as Counselor Troi entered walked past the bar and sat at a far table with Commander Riker. " _Well, he's definitely not gay._ " she concluded, reading his expression. _"Is it her in particular or all petite women with long dark hair? No it can't be? Surely not?_ " She smiled at him. "Let me guess, you're an Engineer."

"Um…how…? Are you a t…telepath?" he asked worriedly.

"No, it was just a guess. The uniform." She smirked inwardly, clearly he'd just been thinking of something he'd prefer not to share.

"Oh, right. I…I'm a Systems D…diagnostic Engineer." he replied and returned to his drink while casting furtive glances at Troi across the bar.

" _This boy's mother should be slapped for letting him leave home carrying that stammer._ " she thought as she moved away. " _Right occupation though, and he does have that eccentric quality that all pioneers seem to have, but he's not at all what I expected."_ She smiled at another customer and pondered the chain of events that will cause the, albeit manly, shrinking violet at the bar to win the heart and soul of the brazen vixen she had met all those centuries ago.

 **Chapter 1**

 _2381_

 _Two weeks before the Hyper-subspace transport test._

Reg's demeanor changed as he read the communique. It was from her again, simply stating a time and a place and asking him to confirm. His heart sank as he made his reply. Why couldn't he just say no?

"Here's my final specs on the test cylinder Boss. I wanted your input before I start the build." Dan asked, interrupting him as he sat at his desk.

"It's fine, but…do we need it to scan for chronitons?" Reg asked.

"I wanted to make it as comprehensive as possible. The more data we can collect the better surely?" Dan argued. "I have the space for extra sensors…"

"Okay, but beware of making more to go wrong. The more complex it is the more likely it is we'll lose the signal in the matter stream." he handed it back. "I'll be leaving a couple of hours early today." he said softly.

"No problem." Dan smiled and walked away.

…

"I was t…told you'd have a k…key for me?" Reg asked nervously at the hotel reception.

"Can I take your name sir?" the pretty receptionist asked.

"Smith." Reg replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the cliché.

The girl handed him the isolinear key with a smile. "Room 204 Mr Smith."

"Thank you." he replied softly and trudged through reception with his head down, looking dejected. She was sitting on the bed when he opened the door to the room. "We really need to talk, I can't keep doing this…" she approached and silenced him with a kiss. "This has to stop…" he whispered then surrendered, returning her kisses fervently as she pulled at his clothing.

"Don't wimp out on me Barclay." she said as she got off the bed and walked naked to the bathroom. "We made this arrangement because it suits us both."

"Well, maybe it's not suiting me anymore." he said angrily and began to dress.

"She'll smell me on you if you don't shower before you go home." she warned through the open door as she turned on the sonic shower and stepped into it.

"Perhaps I don't care?" he shouted as he walked into the bathroom in his underpants.

"Get out!" she snapped. "For God's sake give me some privacy." she pushed him out of the room and slammed the bathroom door.

He began to pace. This situation was untenable, meeting once a week for cold, meaningless sex just wasn't him. Not him at all. It just felt dirty and sordid, not to mention leaving him wracked with guilt. He fidgeted nervously with his wedding ring until she emerged wrapped in a towel and began to dress.

"We need to talk about this." he pleaded.

"I don't have time. I need to pick up my kids and get home before my husband does." she replied tersely. "You want to stop this?" she shrugged. "Stop, no one forces you to come here. I could just as easily get a workout and a massage downstairs at the spa, although I admit you're more fun." she told him as she brushed her hair in the mirror, not even making eye contact. "See you around Barclay." she said as she walked out of the hotel room without a backward glance.

He sighed dejectedly and headed for the shower. He decided to head back to the lab for a while before he went home to face his family. He needed time to think.

…

"Mommy, Daddy's home…" Galatea shouted as she ran into his arms.

"Hello my baby." He kissed Galatea on the cheek. "You're getting heavy." he told her and walked over to the playpen carrying her then stood her on the floor. "Hello little babies." He leaned over and kissed each twin on the head as they sat and played. Pip offered him a building brick. "Thank you Pipsqueak. What are you building?" he asked them both, although they seemed to be waving and teething on them rather than any serious construction, they were a little young for that yet but Reg half expected to see a bridge or a complicated tower block appear whenever he turned around with Taryn for their mother. He clicked the brick into another lying in the pen and they both stared at them as though he had performed some sort of magic trick.

"There's my man." Taryn smiled and hugged him. He held her tight and lifted her feet off the ground with a growl. "How was your day?"

"About the usual." he whispered into her hair.

"One of my students quoted you in class today." she told him.

He smiled. "Did they get the stammer right?"

"Almost." she replied with a smirk as he put her down and stroked her hair. "I hope you're hungry, I've been slaving over a hot replicator for at least two minutes." she joked and picked up a baby, as did Reg and they carried them through to the kitchen to eat.

After dinner and the chaotic water-fight that was euphemistically known as bath time they changed into bath robes as they were drenched and he read Gala a story while Taryn nursed the twins, then they settled on the sofa for grown up time.

"I think Pip's going to crawl soon, he's raring to go when you put him on his tummy. Andie's a little less enthusiastic. I get the feeling she's going to be a bum shuffler like Bronnie was. She never crawled." Taryn stated. "They're growing so fast it's scary." Reg chewed nervously at his fingers. "Are you okay?" she asked, stroking his temple with the back of her finger.

"No, I'm not okay." he whispered. "I really need to talk to you about something."

…

She was pacing furiously but her voice was low so they didn't wake the children. "I don't believe I'm hearing this. Two months and you never said anything?" she said darkly. "You've kept this from me all this time?"

"I knew you'd be upset, and angry and…I didn't want it to come between us…It makes me feel…used and dirty…and I can't live with it anymore." he argued and she laughed mirthlessly in response. "I love you." he started to cry.

"Not enough to be honest with me it seems." she huffed.

"I…just can't do it anymore…I can't live this lie." He lowered his head hands and rubbed the back of his head distractedly. "The fact that no one's bothered that I sneak out of work is beside the point. I feel like I'm letting them down so close to the test phase."

Taryn rolled her eyes and sat beside him, taking him in her arms. "You idiot." She smiled. "You can't even cheat on me when I'm the other woman," she smirked, "So much for adding frisson to our relationship with role-play you big wuss. You could have told me you weren't enjoying it. I thought you were in the zone, playing the guilty husband."

"After the tests we can come up with a new scenario if it's what you want," he wiped his eyes, "Just… I don't want to feel like a sex object or have to treat you like one. I'm happy with our love life here, I don't really need to add frisson."

"Neither do I, but I do like to have you all to myself for an hour or two now and then." She rested her head on his shoulder. "How about this scenario? We're married, very much in love with three beautiful little children and we sneak off to a hotel occasionally to make loud, vocal, passionate and frantic love in the afternoon so we don't forget we're lovers as well as parents?" she suggested with an arched brow.

"I like that scenario." he smiled and kissed her.

"You can be the wife." she joked with a smirk. "I'll replicate a strap-on."

"That is a prohibited item under the Anal Accord of stardate 5…" he began to argue.

"It's not prohibited, okay its use is limited under article 2 but…" she admitted.

"You'll get that thing on and I can wave bu-bye to my cherry ass. You won't be able to help yourself. You know, my Dad warned me about men like you…"

"Don't flatter yourself. Besides, I'd give you a reach around." she grinned.

"I should hope so you minx." He smiled and kissed her and they fell back in each other's arms, then rolled off the couch and onto the floor with a thump. A baby started to cry over the monitor. "That will be Andie." she said, climbing off him and running up the stairs. If she was quick enough there was a chance she may be able to salvage the situation before it turned into a duet. Another wail joined in for the chorus as she reached the top step.

Reg sighed. Andie seemed to be like him, a light and uneasy sleeper. By contrast Pip slept deeply unless he was hungry or wet or his sister was screeching in his ear. Reg stood and followed her, with luck they'd be able to settle them before they disturbed Galatea who was a heavy sleeper but was far from above emotional blackmail to extort hot chocolate and a cuddle on the sofa. He wouldn't go as far as to say parenthood was killing their sex life, but it was certainly applying drag to their momentum. At least Galatea still took naps in the afternoon thanks to her physiology and if they timed it right on their days off they could squeeze in a shower together while the babies slept too. Mommy and Daddy time in the evening often involved more adult activity than talking, watching movies or practicing neuro-pressure as long as they kept the volume down in all cases.

It was all worth it though, he thought as his little green son snuggled against his shoulder. He had a serious little face that looked amusing in contrast to his tuft of dark hair. He rocked him as Taryn sang, holding Andie in her arms with her smiling up at her. Andie was all smiles, often giggling to herself unlike her brother, but when he got going he had a dirty cackle that was so infectious. Reg marveled at how different they were in terms of personality as well as complexion and yet, even at six months old they played and interacted like Binars and even seemed to have babbling conversations that only they understood. They soon drifted back to sleep and they gently placed them back in their cribs.

"Where were we?" Taryn whispered as they headed downstairs. He turned and kissed her as he reached the bottom, she was a couple of steps up making them the same height, locked in a heated embrace. "Soixante-neuf mon mousquetaire?"

"Mais oui." he replied and carried her over to the couch with her legs around his waist.

"Je t'aime d'Artagnan." she whispered as he sat on the couch with her straddling his lap.

"Je t'aime mon petit chou-fleur." he nuzzled her neck and she laughed.

"My French isn't great, but I think you just called me your little cauliflower." she told him in a soft voice.

"Oops." he smirked as he kissed her throat. "I was thinking of a different fleur. Mon cornichon, mon mange tout, mon petite brocoli." he whispered as his kisses moved lower. Reg really wasn't certain if broccoli was masculine or feminine but frankly didn't care, he'd heard the magic number sixty-nine and was currently intent on working his way down her body in as short a time as possible.

"Perhaps we should stick to just doing ze accent monsieur." she suggested. with a smile.

"What? German?" he snorted. "That was the worst French accent I've ever heard." he laughed

"Shush!" she urged him to keep the noise down with a dimpled smile. "Or better yet, we could shut up and find more pleasurable things to do with our mouths?" She cradled his head in her arms while he lavished attention to her breasts and he was instantly distracted from his goal. "Y'know, you can get warm milk out of the replicator if you're thirsty." she chided playfully after a few minutes.

"I'm trying to resolve attachment issues that I developed in early childhood." he advised her and latched on to the other breast.

"I see." Taryn smirked. "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the one that's the most difficult to wean?"

"Only because you love it, besides I was a deprived child." He gazed lovingly at her boob and then suckled again.

"You're more of a depraved child these days."

"You love that too, admit it?" he whispered, then sighed. "I suppose I should leave some for the kids." he said reluctantly.

"The more they work the more they make." Taryn assured him. "I've been considering making cheese I'm producing so much." She quirked her lip and smiled. "I've got plenty stored if you want some and I'm not here. I know how much you love milk."

"Don't be disgusting." he stated. "The container is half the fun." He kissed her passionately on the lips. "You mentioned soixante-neuf I believe?" he asked softly with a smile. There was a sudden flurry of activity as he lay on the couch and she pulled his robe open and climbed on top of him facing the other way. He went at it enthusiastically, as he always did, clutching her buttocks. He'd always felt it was his duty as an officer and a gentleman not to mention an honourary musketeer to do his utmost to ensure any woman daft enough to be intimate with him had the best possible time and he took that even more seriously when it came to his wife. Suddenly he realised she didn't seem to be as enthusiastic as he was. "Is something wrong? We can do something else if you've changed your mind?" he said softly from under her bath robe.

"It's not that." she whispered. "I don't want you to take this as a comment on your endowment but I can only just reach it with my mouth in this position. I'm too short." He uncovered his head and craned his neck to try and see. He pulled her up and down a few times by the hips to check the logistics.

"Well, how did we manage it before?" he asked.

"You were on top, you must have been sort of curled over." she explained.

"Do you want to move?" he asked.

"We can take turns if you're comfortable?"

"Okay." he agreed and went back to work between her thighs. There was a lot less negotiation when they were at the hotel. Probably because these evening trysts acted as a proving ground where they tried new things. They were frequently interrupted, hence the robes that enabled them to cover up quickly and claim they were 'wrestling' or 'cuddling' if Galatea wandered downstairs but she hadn't so far. She was normally out like a light after her bedtime story until morning. If she felt poorly she tended to grizzle and fuss which was audible long before she was in sight of them. The fact they were constantly on alert, didn't always finish what they started and had to restrain themselves vocally was why they started meeting at the hotel. He'd been excited by the idea of pretending they were having an affair at first, it felt a little naughty the first couple of times he had to admit, but it began to feel more real, as though they really were just using each other to work out their frustrations. He yearned for the intimacy they shared in their stolen moments at home while at the hotel far more than he missed the uninhibited freedom of the hotel while they snatched the odd quiet quickie during nap time. At least Taryn understood now, he should have said something sooner but she seemed to be relishing the experience of the double life. He should have known that her desire to please him would mean she would understand. Although he was currently doing the pleasing, like gangbusters if the muffled noises she was making as she chewed on her robe and the way she was quivering like pudding was anything to go by, "Oh boy…" he whispered as he felt her mouth surround him as she took her turn. "Wait, stop." he told her and encouraged her to get up.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I want you to straddle me." He pulled her gently onto his lap.

"Oh, I wanted to taste you." she pouted.

"We could do that porn thing?" he suggested, trying to manoeuvre her into position but she resisted.

"I see, you'll jizz in my face but you won't let me give you oral?" she said with a hurt expression on her face.

"It's not that…" He sighed. "Okay, it sort of is that. I like the idea, but I hear my mother's voice as soon as you start, telling me I'm debasing and degrading you. When we sixty-nined before I didn't really have time to think about it and the other times so much of my blood volume was below the waist by the time you started I couldn't think about anything." He looked away guiltily.

"I thought we resolved this issue months ago?" Taryn whispered.

"So did I but…Woah, what?" he said as she slid off his lap and knelt on the floor. "What are you doing?" he whispered urgently.

She rested her hands on his thighs. "I'm not degrading myself, I'm not about to orally rape you but I really want to make love to you with my mouth, like you just did for me. Is that alright?"

"Um…okay." he whispered. "You'll stop if I ask though?"

"Of course I will." she whispered. "I promise." He gasped as she dipped her head and began to caress him with her tongue. Within seconds he realised the very last thing he wanted her to do was stop.

"Are there any other repressive sexual time bombs lurking in that big brain of yours that I'm going to have to work on?" Taryn asked as she hugged him from behind while he was putting away some of the twins' toys.

"Probably, but none that I'm currently aware of." Reg smiled.

"So you aren't going to start screaming if I… You know we're running out of new things to do." she frowned. "Toe sucking?"

"I'm not going anywhere near your cheesy feet with my mouth." he said indignantly. Then paused. "Okay, maybe in the bath." he conceded. "There's always the bucket list?" he suggested.

"We could revisit that." Taryn smiled. "Of course there's my list too."

"I can't wait to see that." he smirked as he picked something up and turned it over in his hands. "Taryn, why do we have a very small guitar?" Reg asked with a frown. It seemed more like a real instrument than a toy.

"Emlyn sent it for the kids and it's not a guitar, it's a ukulele." she explained. "Pip thought it was great fun twanging the strings but he's a bit little for it yet. I taught Gala a few chords and she seemed to like it too. Andie didn't seem as impressed though, she didn't want to touch it but she seemed to like the sound."

"So we may have a couple of musicians on our hands?" he asked. "Hold on, you taught her some chords? You play this?"

"I showed her approximately half the sum of my knowledge on the topic in fifteen minutes. I'm not George Formby or anything."

"Who?" Reg asked.

"Although he played the banjulele not the uke." she mused.

"Play something?" he asked.

"No." she demurred. "I'm rubbish." she turned and walked away. "Ask Emlyn to play for you. He does all the cool strum patterns, even the split-stroke."

"Oh come on, I serenaded you that time…"

"You were legless." she defended and sat on the sofa with her legs tucked under her.

"If I could play anything I'd play for you." he said as he sat close behind her and nuzzled her neck. "I would use my instrument to thrill and delight you."

"You do that already." she smiled then rolled her eyes as he held the ukulele in front of her. She checked the tuning.

"Don't expect too much. I haven't played for years and my brain was messed up in between."

"I have no preconceptions." he told her as she settled against his chest.

"I used to play the tenor uke too and this is a soprano."

"Excuses, excuses…" he kissed her ear. She began to strum slowly and sing softly.

 _"_ _Come into these arms again  
And lay your body down  
The rhythm of this trembling heart  
Is beating like a drum  
It beats for you - It bleeds for you  
It knows not how it sounds  
For it is the drum of drums  
It is the song of songs..._

 _Once I had the rarest rose_  
 _That ever deigned to bloom._  
 _Cruel winter chilled the bud_  
 _And stole my flower too soon._  
 _Oh loneliness - oh hopelessness_  
 _To search the ends of time_  
 _For there is in all the world_  
 _No greater love than mine._

 _Still falls the rain, still fall the rain,_

 _Still falls the night_

 _Be mine forever,_

 _Love oh love oh love._

 _Let me be the only one  
To keep you from the cold  
Now the floor of heaven's lain  
With stars of brightest gold  
They shine for you - they shine for you  
They burn for all to see  
Come into these arms again  
And set this spirit free"_

"That was beautiful." he whispered and kissed her temple. "What's it called?"

"Love song for a Vampire, it was written by Annie Lennox. You should look her up, beautiful voice, huge range."

"Do you know the one of the best things about us having kids?" Reg asked as she strummed idly.

"We get to play with their toys when they're in bed?" Taryn ventured.

"No," he sniggered. "I get to hear you sing every night." he whispered and held her close.

"And that's a good thing?" she laughed.

"It's a beautiful thing." he replied.

"Well, I happen to know a certain little girl who told me she enjoyed it very much when her Daddy sang her lullabies while I was in hospital and wants to hear him sing more often." Taryn stated.

"What? So she can laugh?" he replied.

"She asked me to sing a song I didn't know at naptime the other day. Turned out it's one you and your Dad sing. She was quite shirty and said that you should sing to her at least twice a week." she advised him.

"That's a matter of repertoire rather than the performer…."

"No, she said you sing it better than Grandpa, and when I said I'd try to learn it she said I'd never be as good as you." She smiled, "You have a fan."

"Did she hurt your feelings?" Reg asked with a frown.

"Of course not, I love that she adores you and wants to hear you sing." Taryn rested her head back on his shoulder. "She has excellent taste."

"She has questionable taste just like her mother." he whispered. "I never thought it was possible to be as in love with anyone as I am with you. Then we found Gala, and had Andie and Pip and sometimes I feel like my heart could just burst out of my chest with all that I feel for all of you."

"Oh, you're really racking up the husband points tonight," Taryn giggled and reached back to stroke his face over her shoulder, "you old romantic."

"Less of the old if you don't mind?" Reg warned as Neelix jumped on Taryn's lap and sniffed the ukulele. "And I love our furry babies too of course." He frowned. "Where's Ratio? I haven't seen him all evening."

"He's sulking in the office." Taryn stated. "Gala told him off and we shut him indoors. He brought in a mouse today."

"Oh. Dead?" Reg asked.

"No. He and Neelix were playing with it when we got home." She stopped strumming. "It seemed okay so I let it go outside."

"Are you sure it was him and not Neelix?" Reg asked.

"Neelix never seems to go outside, he's too nervous. Ratio was a street cat for years and you know how much rodent life you transported from the Habitat Dome. He's the prime suspect."

"I'm not sure I like him going outside." Reg stated.

"This is rural England, not San Francisco or the Rocky Mountains. We don't have traffic or mountain lions, we have squirrels and hedgehogs. The worst he could come across is a moody mole or a stroppy badger or maybe a fox and they're more timid than he is usually. He's not a housecat like Neelix and at least he's confined to our garden by the safety field with his transponder chip." Taryn stated. "Maybe Ratio would be happier at Miffy's? He had a lot more freedom while we were there."

"No, he's okay with Neelix and fine with the kids. He's a cat and cats are supposed to hunt. It's Neelix that's abnormal." Reg argued. "He's far more likely to get into trouble there, especially in the stables. What if he doesn't see a kick from one of the horses coming?"

"It was just a thought." Taryn stated.

"Talk of the devil." Reg said as Ratio swaggered down the stairs and gave them a disdainful look with his one copper eye. Taryn smirked and began strumming again and humming along. "That's a pretty song, sing it for me?" he asked, nuzzling her hair.

 _"_ _But I'm a creep, I'm a weido, what the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here…"_ she sang, then giggled.

"Nice." Reg said archly.

"You did ask…It's a sweeter song than it sounds from that bit." She started to play something else. "Do you like Cole Porter?" He tilted his head indecisively.

 _"_ _Night and day, you are the one  
Only you beneath the moon and under the sun  
Whether near to me, or far  
It's no matter darling where you are  
This chord's a swine.  
Night and day._

 _Day and night, why is it so  
That I forget the words wherever I go  
In the roaring traffic's boom  
Masturbating in my lonely room  
I think of you  
Night and day..."_

Reg sniggered at some of her improvised lyrics, but appreciated the sentiment.

"Ooh. I know what I meant to ask you." Taryn smirked. "Who was the strange lady who visited while I was in hospital?"

"What? What strange lady?" Reg scowled. "No one visited while you were in hospital."

"Your daughter tells me otherwise." Taryn teased and began strumming again. "She asked me, totally out of the blue if I knew who the strange lady who visited Daddy was earlier today." She gave him a look over her shoulder. "Should I be jealous?"

"Wha… Oh it was Hope." Reg realized. "Didn't I tell you about that? I'm sure I did."

"I think I'd remember if you mentioned your ex turned up while I was in a vegetative state." she said sternly.

"Mother wrote to her from prison. Told her I wanted to get back together with her but was too embarrassed to ask. She also told her that there was a plan to bump you off, well, she said the doctors were going to withhold nutrition to put you out of your misery after you had the twins then we'd offload Gala and Pip somehow but raise Andie as our own as she could pass for Human. God knows how she knew at that point."

"What?!" Taryn exclaimed.

"Although to her credit Hope said she didn't care that Pip and Gala didn't look Human if I changed my mind and wanted to keep them. At that point Gala walked in and I made some excuse for her to go back to her room and told Hope that my mother tried to kill us all and was in the stockade and basically she'd told her a pack of lies and she was mortified and left. I felt bad for her really. I called Pete later and suggested Angie talk to her, nothing else was said about it though. I really thought I'd told you about it." He paused quietly and chewed his finger.

"She's okay." Taryn whispered.

"Who Hope?" he asked with a frown.

"Your mother. Dad's been keeping tabs on her at the penal colony. He thought Section 31 would go after her like they did Haftel. He offered her solitary if she turned in her contacts but she refused. Dad had to put her in solitary later anyway to stop her contacting people. She got letters out through another prisoner but luckily they caught it on the monitoring system and it lead them to another officer in Section 31. They wanted to keep the window open for her as a sting operation but Dad decided it wasn't worth the risk."

"Why?"

"One was addressed to you. Your block wouldn't have caught it. Dad wouldn't tell me what it said but he told me he'd show you if you wanted to see it."

"I don't want to know. She's nothing to me now. I'm more worried about Hope. It didn't end well between us but it wasn't really her fault, she just wasn't right for me. She certainly didn't deserve to get dragged into that evil witch's nefarious plot. No, I was thinking…"

"What?"

"Well, I wanted to bring you home and look after you here as soon as I could and the doctors at the hospital tried to talk me out of it. They said you were gone and I needed to come to terms with that. I thought that they had the idea I planned to keep you in the attic like Mrs Rochester, but… maybe she got to them. Maybe they were planning to starve you and not tell me. Maybe you were right not to have the twins at the hospital."

Taryn swallowed hard and moved to look at him. "I really hope you're being paranoid."

"So do I." he said and held her tight, she rubbed his arm to comfort him.

"Our Doctor would have noticed." she stated and smiled weakly but she didn't seem convinced and neither was Reg. "Do you mind if I go to bed early?" Taryn asked. "I'm feeling tired."

"You're not…I mean you'd tell me if you _thought_ you were...?" he asked with alarm.

"No, I'm not pregnant. I just feel sleepy." she assured him. "I'd be chasing after you with two bricks trying to castrate you if put me in the pudding club this close to having the twins. I know you'd love another one, maybe another boy to even up the hormonal balance of the house, but it might not be possible naturally and I'm not sure I want to go through all the treatments and procedures when we have three wonderful children already."

Reg smiled, he frequently joked that he and Pip were outnumbered and had to stick together, the cats position in the debate was in dispute as they were male but both neutered. "I don't want you to go through all that either, it sounded awful when The Doctor told us about it and you definitely get the short straw. I just have to produce a sample. I've been doing that since I was thirteen." he stated. "Maybe we'll get lucky again. It's not like we're taking precautions." he added and nuzzled her neck. With only a three percent chance of a natural conception and neither of them serving on a Starship they decided not to bother with birth control. "If it happens it would be wonderful, but…maybe we should consider ourselves lucky and our family complete."

"Complete." Taryn smiled. "That's a good word for how I feel." she said as she snuggled into him.

"It's not like you to get tired though…" Reg frowned. "Are you getting sick?" She had returned to her pattern of sleeping two and a half hours a night, which meant Reg didn't have to see to the babies if they woke in the night, but he usually helped if they woke him. Taryn would sit up late in bed meditating, reading or looking through research then grab some sleep before the twins wanted their early feed. She'd feed them both at once with them tucked under each arm supported by pillows, something Reg regarded as an epic feat of multitasking. They'd have expressed milk at the nursery on the three days a week she worked or when he was in charge of course and they had recently started eating pureed fruit and vegetables at dinner time.

"No, I haven't slept the last few nights. I've been busy working on my thesis." she admitted reluctantly.

"Taryn…" he said despairingly.

"I know. I sort of got into it and couldn't stop, I'm so close to finishing it I can smell it." she whispered and got up, he rose as well. "You can stay up longer if you like." she told him.

"I'd rather come with you." Reg whispered. "Unless, you want the bed to yourself?"

She smirked and took him by the hand. "Come on." she whispered and led him upstairs.

He smiled as he followed her. Perhaps when it came to sexual fantasies you could overcomplicate things to the point they wouldn't work, just like engineering. His everyday life with his family was far more wonderful than any fantasy, holodeck or otherwise that he'd ever created and he wouldn't change a thing.

…

"I tell you they're up to something." Pete Harkin's insisted over the com link. "They were as thick as thieves when I left the house."

"You're over-reacting." Reg insisted, sitting at the terminal at the front of the classroom. "So Angie invited Taryn over for a chat and she took the twins with her. Angie loves the kids."

Pete shook his head. "Taryn called her and asked to meet up. Said there was something she wanted to discuss."

"Taryn…said that?" Reg frowned. It wasn't like her to just call people on the spur of the moment to get together, unless they were family. She usually planned these things at least two days in advance. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. These are the women we love, not a coven of witches."

"You have a lot to learn about marriage and women. You get three of them together that's exactly what you get. A coven."

"Andie is a little young for dancing naked around standing stones." Reg argued.

"I don't mean the baby, Angie was summoning Hope when I left."

"Hope?!" Reg exclaimed and put his hand over his mouth. What on Earth was Taryn up to? "What do you mean 'summoning', they were doing some kind of ritual?"

"No you half-wit, they opened a com channel to Boston." Pete told him incredulously. "You haven't pissed your woman off have you? Made her want to get shot of you?" Pete asked. "Palm you off on your ex?"

Reg made a number of noises before he settled on one. "N…No. We're really happy." He paused. "At least I thought we were." he chewed his fingers. He'd told her he felt bad that they broke up and guilty that his mother had used her in her plans, could he have triggered some kind of Orion sense of morality in his wife? Some kind of love debt? They had an unusual way of looking at relationships sometimes.

"I mean she's green, a woman like that has needs."

"Pete!" Reg looked pained. "All women have needs, green or not."

"Well are you seeing to her needs on a regular basis? I know it can't be easy with the little ones…."

"Not that it's any of your business we have a very active and fulfilling sex life." he snapped then blushed as he realised the students had entered the room for his class.

"I'd better go. I'll keep you apprised if I hear any more about their wicked plot." Pete said and closed the channel. The students gave Reg a standing ovation, despite the fact the class was only twenty strong.

"Alright, let's g…get started shall we?" Reg stated, still blushing furiously.

"You're an inspiration sir." One of the students, a skinny young man with acne told him. "No really Commander, they tell you pilots and captains get the girls but you prove that engineers can get hot alien pussy too."

"I'm not sure I like you referring to my wife that way but I appreciate the sentiment." Reg smiled, "Now, I believe we were discussing Geodesic Folds last time. Can anyone tell me why you can't send a communication signal via that phenomenon?"

…

When Reg got home the living room was empty, but there was giggling coming from the kitchen. He entered the room and found Taryn's youngest sister with the children. "Hi Bronnie. Hey kids." Reg said as he toured the dining table kissing three little heads as they sat and ate, Bronwyn spoon feeding the twins in turn between feeding herself.

"You have to go upstairs Daddy." Gala told him. "You're going out to dinner with Uncle Pete and Auntie Angie."

"I see, what's Mommy doing?"

"Probably her hair, she's getting ready." Bronwyn told him with a smile.

"Good, you're here." Taryn said as he walked into their bedroom. She was stepping into her dress, "Can you do me up please?" She turned her back to him.

"All things considered I'd rather undress you." Reg said as he pressed soft kisses to her neck and shoulder, moving her bra strap for better access.

"Reg." Taryn said sternly. "Do me up and get your arse in the shower or we'll be late. Shave too, you have five o'clock shadow."

He fastened her dress with a sigh and headed into their en suite bathroom. "Yes of course, I have to make myself all clean and fresh and gussy myself up for my hot date with Hope." he muttered sarcastically as he undressed.

"Okay, what have you heard?" Taryn asked from the doorway, "What's going on in your big weird head?" She smirked as he scowled at her. "Vulcan hearing remember?"

"I don't know what you've cooked up with Angie but I'm not playing." he declared. "I'm not going to let you hand me over to Hope as part of some twisted Orion debt ritual. I don't want to be with her, I want to be with you."

Taryn bit her lip and struggled not to laugh. "You sweet silly prat." Taryn stated and took him into her arms. "You've let your imagination run away with you." She looked up into his face. "Yes, I feel we owe Hope for what your mother did but no way am I giving you to her and there isn't any ritual involved, twisted or otherwise. Now get in the shower or we'll be late. Trevor will be here any minute."

"Who's Trevor?" Reg asked as he stepped under the shower and turned it on. Opting for sonic as they were pushed for time.

"You haven't met him, he was away on a lecture tour for our anniversary. He's my cousin, Uncle Taliesin's eldest son."

"Oh the Xeno-botanist? Your uncle told me about him."

"Well, he's tall, handsome, sensitive and dorky, which seems to be Hope's type. He's also nearer your age than mine." she explained. "Angie and I narrowed it down to him out of all my single male friends and relatives. We both think he'll be perfect for Hope."

"She, well she tried to change me you know? Will he put up with that?" Reg asked. "That was why I broke up with her."

"I changed you." Taryn stated.

"You nurtured me, you didn't have a refit program like I was an outdated starship. USS Reginald E Barclay III Constellation Class." He stepped out of the shower and headed to the sink. He really did need a shave, she was right.

"Apparently neither did she until your mother got in touch with her." Taryn said softly. "Angie told me that Hope got every direction she pushed you in from Alicia as if she was a puppet master. She assured her it was what you wanted and needed. That was why she got so upset when you told her your mother tried to kill us. She realized she'd been manipulated from the word go."

Reg froze, "If she hadn't interfered I might still be with Hope. I might not have got involved with you."

"Yes and if you had wheels you might be a wagon." Taryn stated. "It's too late to change horses now Tiger, you're stuck with me till the end of the race." She turned and went into the bedroom.

"I love it when you mix metaphors Kitten." He smiled. "Ow, shit!" he exclaimed as he cut his chin.

"Did you cut yourself?" Taryn asked from outside the room. She returned moments later with the first aid kit from the kitchen. "Let me see." she whispered in the same voice she used when Galatea hurt herself. "It's just a little boo-boo." she smiled and used the dermal regenerator on his cut. Then softly kissed where it had been.

"Are you sure we have to go out to dinner?" he whispered as he gazed into her eyes.

"Yes we do." She kissed him on the nose.

…

"Is this a blind date? Have you set me up with someone?" Trever asked as they walked towards the Harkins' home. As described he was tall, passably handsome and dorky, with floppy dark hair and the dark green eyes that were a trait many Priors inherited from Miffy.

"No, of course not." Taryn lied, "Angie's sister said she could come at the last minute and you're just here to make up the numbers. You can't have a dinner party with five."

"Is she lying to me?" the tall academic asked Reg.

"Yes." Reg replied and Taryn grabbed her cousin's arm as he threw his head back in despair and turned back towards the transporter station.

"Okay, I think you'll like her, and I think she'll find you fascinating and handsome. She used to go out with Reg. Tell him how lovely she is?" she asked Reg, dragging her reluctant cousin towards the house.

"She's lovely." Reg said blandly.

"So she's one of his cast offs?" Trevor said despairingly.

"You could be a bit more enthusiastic Reg." Taryn scowled.

"It's… weird you wanting me to talk up my ex, let alone dragging me to dinner with her." he protested.

"Okay, here's how it is." Taryn stated on a tone that brooked no argument. "If nothing else this will get your mother off your back about getting out and meeting people for at least a while Trev."

"How long?" he asked.

"A month or two, maybe longer if you milk it." Taryn stated. "And you said yourself that you like Hope and felt bad that you just weren't suited to her. Maybe meeting at a non-threatening social gathering surrounded by friends will stop you feeling awkward and guilty whenever Angie mentions her." Taryn told Reg.

"Maybe." Reg conceded reluctantly as they reached the front door.

"So this is the virgin sacrifice?" Pete muttered to Reg as he got them some drinks. "He's her type anyway. They made a good choice."

"Is that how you discussed me when you introduced me to Hope?"

"Yes." Pete replied flatly. "I was half expecting phasers drawn at twenty paces when she met Taryn but your disarming and engaging wife seems to have worked her magic. How does she do it?"

"I don't know," Reg whispered as he turned and watched Taryn subtly encourage her cousin to talk to Angie and Hope. "All I know is I'm well and truly under her spell." He smiled.

"Taryn was telling me about your book on the language of flowers Trevor." Angie asked over dinner.

"Sentient plants?" Pete asked.

"No," Trevor smiled shyly, "although my current project involves testing the IQ of a number of species of plant life. That book wasn't an academic work, but it was a labour of love. It wasn't very popular though, unfortunately." he said with a slight Welsh lilt to his accent.

"It should have been, I found it fascinating." Taryn stated.

"What was it about?" Reg asked.

"Throughout Earth history and most notably during the Victorian era meaning was ascribed to flowers, trees and herbs. When you gave someone flowers you were sending a particular message. What's your favourite flower?" He asked Angie.

"Dog Roses." Pete answered for her and Angie nodded with an impressed smile.

"The Dog rose symbolizes pleasure and pain." Trevor stated.

"Our marriage in a nutshell." Pete laughed and Angie glared at him across the table.

"Hope?" Trevor asked.

"Snowdrops." Reg stated without thinking with his fork halfway to his mouth and froze, giving Taryn a guilty smile.

"Hope." Trevor smiled.

"Yes?" she replied.

"That's what they mean, hope and consolation." he smiled.

"Okay Reg, what's Taryn's favourite flower?" Pete asked. Reg froze again and looked at his wife apologetically. "Oh dear." he laughed.

"I've never given you flowers have I?" Reg frowned.

"Typical." Angie stated. "She bore your twins and you didn't even give her so much as a bunch of daisies?" she said with disgust in her voice.

"There's no flower as beautiful as her." Reg defended.

"Nice try." Taryn said wryly. "Tiger lilies. But don't get them, they're toxic to cats." Taryn warned Reg.

"They symbolize wealth, prosperity and pride. Some flowers have more complex meanings, for instance white lilies symbolize youth, purity and virginity but they carry the message 'It's heavenly to be with you.' Hydrangeas symbolize frigidity and heartlessness but also say 'thank you for understanding.'"

"It sounds like a very romantic book, I'd love to read it." Hope smiled warmly at Trevor who smiled shyly showing his dimples. "I'll have to look up your other published work too. I've always liked botany."

"I warn you, some of it's a little dry." Trevor blushed.

Reg noticed Taryn exchange glances with Angie, like a silent high five involving their eyebrows. Maybe Pete had been right about the coven thing.

"You look unbearably smug," Reg told Taryn as they climbed into bed that night after they'd looked in on Galatea and checked the twins. Bronwyn was snoring on the couch when they arrived so they'd covered her with a blanket, the plan was for her to sleep over anyway. On the way home Trevor admitted he had already made another date with Hope and Taryn was on cloud nine that her matchmaking scheme was a success, "and you looked breathtakingly beautiful tonight."

"You're still in deficit on husband points. Knowing Hope's favourite flower and not mine was an epic faux pas." Taryn advised him.

"She expected flowers and gifts, you just want unlimited access to my genitalia." Reg argued as she snuggled next to him and he idly stroked the hand she placed on his chest. "She did look happy talking to him, she never seemed that…at ease with me. We got on okay but it wasn't like me and you."

"Trevor's not the most outgoing of men but he's a gentleman. Even if it doesn't work out it will be good for them both to socialize. God knows he needs some time talking to someone who isn't a plant."

"You and Angie did a good thing. I'm proud of you, although I was worried when Pete told me you were conspiring together. He made it sound as if you were taking turns stirring the cauldron."

"No, but we did get through a lot of eye of newt." Taryn replied.

Reg really hoped she was joking.

 _Authors note:_

 _Songs mentioned are Lovesong for a Vampire by Annie Lennox. Creep by Radiohead and Night and Day by Cole Porter._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _2381_

 _The day of the Hyper-Subspace transport test._

 _The Daystrom Institute, Earth._

"Shut down the MIDAS array!" Reg shouted over the chaos, his grip on her hand becoming more tenuous. "Shut it down now!" his eyes met hers as her hand slipped from his. "NO!" he screamed as she vanished into the void a fraction of a second before the link was severed and he dropped to the floor, his body shaking with wracking sobs. The room was silent apart from that sound for several minutes as they all stood in shock, processing the situation.

" _Daystrom this is the Enterprise. Do you have Commander's Data and La Forge?_ " A transmission came over the com channel. " _Come in Daystrom._ " It was Picard's voice.

Admiral Janeway broke the silence and responded. "Captain Picard this is Admiral Janeway. We don't have them, do you have Professor Barclay?"

" _Negative Admiral. We'll analyze our sensor data and get back to you shortly_."

"We'll do likewise Captain. Daystrom out."

"Reg." Dan whispered. "Reg? REG, for God's sake LISTEN!?" he shouted. "I got chroniton readings from the cylinder before we broke the link. Chronitons."

Reg sniffed and looked up. "So what?" he wailed. "She's gone, she's dead, floating somewhere in space." he sobbed. "What does when matter?"

"That felt like suction from a vortex of some sort, not decompression Reg." Janeway told him.

"I tracked her combadge up to the shutdown." Barsha stated, examining her readout. "It happened fast but I believe she exited on this planet."

"I think they may be right Reg." Admiral Janeway stated, looking at their consoles. "I think you built a time machine."

"Mr Barclay?" Admiral Paris moved closer as Reg was still unresponsive. "I know how it feels to lose a wife son." he put his hand on his shoulder, "If there's a chance she's alive, you have to grab it." Reg nodded. "Because there are few of us who get that opportunity."

"Okay, okay you're right." he sniffed. "The Enterprise lost Data and La Forge?" Reg asked and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "Did I hear right that there was a ship in the Bajoran wormhole?" He stood and began to pace.

"That's what La Forge said but the transmission broke up." Janeway replied.

"If you were in a wormhole, and it went unstable, what would you do?" he asked Janeway still sniffing.

She looked at the others in the room. "I'd try and break out, hope the shearing force did less damage than the collapsing wormhole."

"Right, but we're talking about two intersecting wormholes." Reg stated.

"I don't see what you're driving at Reg?" Pete asked.

"We formed a…a subspace nexus maybe? Temporal mechanics aren't really my field." Reg suggested.

"It's feasible," Admiral Janeway reasoned. "I'm sorry, I don't know your names… Apart from Dan, everyone knows him." she smirked.

"Barsha." the Grey Orion nodded in greeting.

"The Doctor's Barsha?" Janeway asked and got a nod. "Don't take this the wrong way but I expected you to be green."

"So do most people when they hear I'm Orion." Barsha smiled, her cybernetic eyes glinting.

"David Barclay, Admiral." the young man stated.

"Any relation?"

"Step-brother." Reg said distractedly. David hated the fact he had his father's surname and planned to change it to Prior, but chose Barclay after their parents got married. "And Taryn's cousin."

"Keeping it in the family eh Reg?" Janeway stated. "Okay, Mr Barclay the younger, you were monitoring the subspace corridor?"

"Yes Admiral. I widened the sensor field when I noticed activity in the wormhole." he replied.

"I'm glad to see initiative runs in the family. Let's have a look?" Janeway stated.

"Dear God." Admiral Paris stated.

"I'd call that a nexus alright," Janeway breathed, "but it doesn't make any sense."

Red looked at the screen with a frown and turned his head sideways. "No it doesn't." The image showed two intersecting wormholes. One large, clearly the Bajoran wormhole, one narrow, the one they had created but instead of four openings to the anomaly and one tear, there were another two branches heading away from the nexus on a perfect parallel course in a straight line, one larger than the other that was very close to their end of the singularity. "I was expecting maybe a partial wormhole caused by the ship, but…" he looked at Barsha. "Can you overlay the telemetry from Taryn's combadge please?"

They watched as a line followed the path of the micro-singularity, then it changed course and came back along the new narrow passageway.

"Where does her signal terminate?" Pete asked.

"London, Highgate Semetary." Admiral Paris stated looking at the readout. Reg blanched, hoping it wasn't an omen.

"She's not there now. As soon as the link was severed we lost her signal." Barsha stated.

"Because we were connected to another time perhaps?" Janeway theorized.

"Do we know where the larger branch terminates?" Reg asked.

"Space, somewhere in the Sol System." David stated. "I can't be more specific."

"Did we pick up any other combadges in transit?" Reg asked.

"No, I locked on to both of yours when I thought…" Barsha stopped.

Reg nodded. "Dan," Reg started, "where did the test cylinder go?"

"I have the telemetry. Overlaying it now." Dan replied and the line travelled from the other end of the micro-wormhole and also terminated at Highgate Cemetery.

"Did it pick up anything other than chroniton particles?" Janeway asked.

"The stress messed up a lot of its readings Admiral. Its positron emissions spiked, so did its mass."

Reg looked up. "How much mass? 100 kilos or so?"

"About that…" Dan froze. "Data." he realized. "It picked up Data but read him as part of itself."

"So whenever they are, they're probably all together." Pete reasoned.

"Maybe the Prophets spat them out?" David whispered.

"What did you say?" Janeway snapped.

"I'm sorry Admiral, I spoke out of turn." the young man apologized.

"No son, you may be right." Admiral Paris stated. "We can't rule out the possibility that the wormhole aliens intervened in some way. I'm no expert on subspace phenomena but that corridor looks artificial to me."

"Let's get a com channel to the Enterprise." Janeway ordered. "We need to see any sensor logs they have from the event and share what we have." She placed her hand on Reg's shoulder. "We'll find a way to get them back."

"Get them back? How?" Pete asked.

"We got close to Hyper-subspace beaming with one transporter on the simulations but we lost the signal because it was just too far." Reg explained. "If we can recreate the subspace nexus all three of them are wearing combadges. We should get a lock."

"Yes, but we'll have to resolve the time differential." Janeway stated. "We need at least some idea of when."

"Time travel…" Reg whispered. "I need to go home and get something. Can I use someone's authority to direct transport from Daystrom station and back?" he asked.

"Take your pick." Janeway stated and Paris nodded.

"Thank you" he flapped. "If the nursery calls while I'm gone can you handle it David?" he asked as he left the room.

"Of course." David replied and began transmitting the telemetry.

"So tell me son, how far did you get at the Academy?" Admiral Paris asked him.

"Sir?" David replied.

"You carry yourself like a cadet, I'm guessing Upperclassman." Janeway arched a brow. "What happened?"

"There was a family situation." David replied.

"I see." she replied.

"With all due respect Admiral, you don't." David stated.

"Maybe not, but I know you wouldn't be here if you weren't bright, and Reg must trust you if he leaves you as contact for his children." she smiled. "He doesn't trust easily."

"I know how easy it is to get off track, and how hard it can be to find your way again. It took my son seven years in the Delta Quadrant to find the right path." Admiral Paris smiled. "If you ever need a reference to rejoin the Academy and don't want to ask your Uncle Iestyn just let me know."

"Thank you sir." David replied with a smile.

Reg returned to the lab carrying a large painting. He rested it on the console and looked at it carefully.

"Reg, is there a reason why you you've brought a boudoir painting of your wife in to show us? Aside from bragging rights?" Pete asked as they all stood around it with arched brows.

"It isn't her, I mean… clearly it's her but it's from the nineteenth century." Reg stated. "It's called The Dryad of Windspirit Glade. Someone gave it to my grandfather I think. I know Data did some research, but Taryn always thought he was holding something back." Reg began to remove the frame from the canvas. "It's unsigned but maybe he painted it and that's why it looks so much like her. Perhaps he recognized it as his style and if he did..."

"He'd have dated it." Janeway breathed. Reg frowned and looked disappointed, there was no sign of a date on the margins covered by the frame.

"Let me try something." Dan stated and looked along the edge of the canvas and then examined the reverse. "Dealers used to stick the provenance to the back." he looked up at the surprised faces. "My Dad is a museum curator." he explained. "There are a lot of dealers' labels on here. This painting has had a chequered past. London, Rome, Warsaw, Berlin…this has even been in the hands of the Nazi's at some point." Dan told them then smiled as his eyes lit on something. "You've never looked at the back of this painting have you?" he asked Reg who shook his head.

"I think that's understandable," Owen Paris smirked, "given the subject."

Dan turned the painting and pointed to a small faded dealers mark. "Barclay, La Forge & Soong. Timepiece and Clock Repairs. Highgate. 1891."

…

 _1891_

 _Highgate, London._

Her expression was one of rapt concentration as she delicately replaced the pinion in the clock that lay in pieces in front of her. This was more her kind of thing, working on delicate, finely tuned precision instruments, not fighting like a feral hellcat in front of a gang of horny men baying for blood. The shop bell rang and she stopped. She laid down her tools, covered her face with a veil and pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Can I help you sir?" she asked as she entered the front of the shop.

"Yes, I hope you can, I have a half-hunter in need of repair. It has great sentimental value." The man was well-dressed and looked concerned. It looked an old watch, possibly an heirloom, it certainly had been well loved but it was in a sorry state, the glass was cracked and it wasn't running. "Do you think one of your fellows may be able to repair it?"

Taryn smirked under her veil, she was the 'fellow' that did most of the repairs. "Certainly sir, I'll just ask one of our horologists to take a look before I give you a price for the repair." She went out the back, slipped off her gloves and popped the watch open to look at the mechanism. As she suspected it looked as though it had been dropped from a great height. She replaced her gloves and took it back into the shop. "It's quite badly damaged sir, the glass, hair-spring, balance wheel and fork will need to be replaced but it's certainly not beyond repair. Whether it's economical is the question..."

"Money is no object, it was my father's. Will you contact me when the repair is complete?" he stated.

"Of course sir, I'll just write a receipt."

This was their bread and butter, not as exciting as building androids or roaming the galaxy but they had somewhere to live and food on the table. They employed a shop-boy whom they paid in advance, ostensibly to ensure everyone got their property back should they have to depart in a hurry. They still hadn't abandoned hope of rescue. The one thing that surprised her was how attached people in this era were to their watches and clocks. They were not only prized possessions, they were symbols of status and class, heirlooms passed from parent to child, gifts given to sons leaving to join the army. The British Empire currently spanned the globe and the Second Anglo-Afghan war was still firmly in the memories of many, the war during which the fictional Dr Watson was injured. Data was very much in his element in this era, his study of Sherlock Holmes stood him in good stead but the…for want of a better word, ethnicity of their party was causing them some difficulties.

"If you don't mind my asking, isn't it difficult writing in gloves?"

"I was caught in a fire sir, my hands look…unpleasant." she replied softly.

"My apologies." he said curtly, eying the veil. It was pretty much the standard response she got whenever she made excuses for covering her hands and face. She didn't normally man the shop but it was Scott, the shop-boy's afternoon off. The clocks chimed as she handed him the receipt. It was closing time at last. She was about to lock the door behind their last customer as Data and Geordi returned.

"Well?" she said as she locked the door and turned the sign. "Did you get in? What did you see?" she asked excitedly as they walked to the back room and she lifted her veil. They had gone to the Royal Greenwich Observatory to investigate strange chroniton readings they suspected were emanating from orbit.

"We did, but it is not what we hoped." Data said sadly. "The temporal anomalies we have been sensing are occurring in orbit as we suspected. But…"

"Taryn, we don't think they're originating from the Daystrom Institute in the future." Geordi explained.

"Well, where else would they be from?" she frowned.

"There is a Jem'Hadar Fighter orbiting the planet. It may be the ship we picked up in the Wormhole at the time of the event." Data explained.

"Jem'Hadar? How is that possible?" she asked. "I mean it's possible they came through like we did but I thought the Dominion stood down the Jem'Hadar as part of the treaty?"

"There have been rumours of rogue platoons stealing ketracel white from…" Data began then noticed Taryn was in tears.

"I'm sorry, I didn't really think Reg would be daft enough to miss the bloody planet, but I wondered if it was a test or they sent a ship." she sobbed. "It's been so long, my babies won't even remember me, my milk has dried up, Gala will think I just left her…" she wailed on Data's shoulder and he looked at Geordi helplessly. "They aren't looking for us. They think were dead!"

"Don't look at me, you're the one with a girlfriend." Geordi said and headed to the kitchen. "You're better qualified than I am to deal with a wailing woman."

"Taryn." Data said, grasping her by the upper arms and looking into her hysterical face. "I know this is difficult for you but we need you to stay focussed. Why would a Jem'Hadar ship be getting contact from the future? How does anyone know they are here?"

Taryn gibbered a little more and then stopped as she considered his words. "So you're sure they aren't originating the signal from this time?"

"I am certain." Data replied.

"Well…" Taryn looked confused. "What are we supposed to do about it? We can't even get into orbit."

"That's what I said." Geordi stated, holding a cup of tea.

"Has there been anything in the papers? Reports of horny lizard men or anything?" Taryn asked.

"That's a good question." Geordi commented.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

"Another good question." Geordi smirked.

"Geordi." Data gave him a look.

"Well so far we only have problems and no ideas let alone solutions Data." Geordi stated. "This isn't how I like to work."

"I don't like it either." Taryn added. "This sucks Data."

"When I was in 19th century San Francisco…" Data began.

"Here we go." Taryn rolled her eyes.

"I learned all I could and waited for the right time to take action." Data continued.

"Yeah, well you had Guinan, Jack London and Mark Twain. We've got a kid called Scott who thinks she got caught in a fire in a dye works, you're an albino and I'm your manservant. Massa Data." Geordi said derisively.

"I resolved that misunderstanding when I explained we were from New Orleans, you are an educated craftsman and my business partner and certainly not a slave."

"Yeah, but I get to be the widow of an old business partner that you've taken pity on." Taryn moaned. "I hate telling people Reg is dead. He isn't even born yet and I'm wishing him away."

"I am not responsible for the mores of this society." Data argued.

"Are you calling me a Blackamoor?" Geordi snapped.

"I meant moral attitudes, mores nor Moors." Data argued. "Why are you both being so belligerent?"

"Belligerent?" Geordi snapped. "You don't get half the crap I do because you can pass. Neither of us know what it's like to be a woman in this era and she can't even show her face. It's awful here. I thought San Francisco was bad when a cop snatched a cane from my hand despite my being blind and well dressed and said that it was a gentleman's cane…"

"It could be worse Geordi. No-one is burning a cross outside the shop and dancing around it in a sheet. There was never segregation in the British Isles and the status of slavery was never recognised under English law…Wait? Is there a chance we could find Guinan?" Taryn suggested.

"When I met her in 1893, she did not say 'Hello, we met two years ago.'" Data argued.

"Yes, but she never told Captain Picard she'd met him before." Geordi pointed out.

"Wasn't she holding literary soirees? I could try and find out if there are any literary groups and ask if they've heard of her?" Taryn suggested.

"I will look through the newspapers at the library tomorrow. You could make enquiries there." Data said to Taryn.

"Well it looks like I'm minding the store." Geordi sighed.

"There's not much on. I'm nearly finished with the Seth Thomas and I took in this half hunter. The bloke said money no object as it's an heirloom, he wasn't interested in the price for the job and said to contact him when it's fixed. His address is on the label and in the receipt book." Taryn stated.

Geordi popped it open. "Ouch. Okay." he said looking at it. "Looks like a horse trod on it."

"That was my second guess. I also sold a painting. The one with the wild flowers." she stated and returned to work on the clock.

"I don't suppose you fixed dinner?" Geordi asked and got a withering stare for his trouble.

"One more comment and I'm joining the suffragettes." she hissed.

…

"No, I'm not doing it." Taryn hissed from beneath her veil.

"But I am escorting you." Data argued. "It is the appropriate etiquette."

"Where's your sword then?" she snapped and at his puzzled expression added, "If you're escorting me you're supposed to use your left arm to keep your sword arm free to defend my honour. Not to mention the fact you're left-handed…"

Data grabbed her arm and clamped it under his with her hand resting on his forearm. "If you do not stop behaving like an obstinate child I shall spank you."

"Ooooh." Taryn said sarcastically. "That wouldn't be very gentlemanly."

"Are you deliberately trying to antagonize me?" Data asked.

"Yes." Taryn replied as they entered the Library of the British Museum.

Data sat in a quiet corner of the library flicking through the newspapers when Taryn came to find him. "You won't believe this," she whispered, "I have her address."

"Where?"

"Ladbroke Grove. She's renting a house there."

"This cannot be a coincidence." Data whispered and someone shushed.

" _I've been thinking_." Taryn signed, " _Do you think we passed through the Celestial Temple?_ "

" _I do not know. You suspect the Prophets are somehow involved in us being here?_ " he signed back.

" _Why now? Why here? Why us?_ " she asked.

" _Perhaps we were just nearest to the vortex._ " Data suggested.

" _Perhaps._ " she paused thoughtfully. " _What are the odds of a Jem'Hadar ship entering the Bajoran Wormhole during the test? Don't answer that. It was a rhetorical question._ "

" _But it is a good question. I have only found this article._ " Data told her. " _Someone reported seeing a female demon with ears that went from their jaw to their temple and purple eyes at a churchyard in Hammersmith._ "

" _Sounds like a Vorta. We should check it out._ " Taryn agreed as she read the article.

" _We should see Guinan first._ " Data signed.

…

"Can I help you sir?" The young man said as he opened the door and let the three of them into the hall. Geordi had left Scott in charge and joined them on hearing they found Guinan's address. Data stepped aside and Taryn stepped forward.

"We'd like to speak to Madam Guinan please." she asked earnestly from beneath her veil.

"Madam Guinan isn't receiving visitors today miss." he replied nervously, he was beginning to sweat. Her pheromones were clearly having an effect on him.

"Are you sure? I think she'd want to see us." Taryn suggested.

"Do you?" he asked her, blushing and smiling shyly. "Who shall I say it is?"

"Tell her we're… fellow travellers and lovers of literature." Geordi smiled. "People she'll want to listen to."

"Please wait in the salon and I'll let her know." he told them and showed them into a sunlit, beautifully furnished living room.

"How does she do it?" Geordi asked incredulously. "She has a salon and servants and we live over a shop and eat bread and dripping. It's…just not fair. We had that crappy boarding house with that mad landlady in San Francisco too."

"Her house there was quite palatial." Data stated, checking the mantelpiece for dust and finding none. "Will be quite palatial." he corrected.

"She's wooing the Bohemian literati. It's all about image." Taryn mused as she looked at a painting. "And I happen to like bread and dripping."

The door flew open. "Look, I don't know how you talked your way in here…" Guinan began and Taryn lifted her veil. "Alright, I know how you talked your way in here but you need to go back and tell my father that I am staying here until I've finished listening…"

"We didn't come from your father." Geordi stated.

"Alright, well take your slave girl and get out of my house." Guinan ordered.

"Guinan, we need your help, you do not know us but we know you. We were accidentally sent here from four hundred and ninety years in the future and we are stranded. There is an alien ship in orbit of unknown intent and…" Data explained.

"You're from the future?" Guinan stated and they all nodded. "And you know me?" They nodded again. "And there's an alien ship."

"A Jem'Hadar Fighter, we believe it came through the vortex with us." Geordi stated.

"What's a Jem'Hadar and what vortex?"

"A Jem'Hadar is a genetically engineered warrior race from the Gamma Quadrant and the vortex was accidentally created by her husband." Data explained.

"Your husband? An Orion man created a vortex in time?" she snorted. "Must've been one hell of a fart."

"My husband is Human." Taryn replied with a giggle.

"A Human and an Orion?" Guinan asked. "From the effect you had on Johnnie that must be a pretty one-sided relationship."

"I'm not entirely Orion. She removed her hat and showed Guinan her ears. "I'm father is Human and my mother is a Vulcan Orion hybrid. I'm Professor Taryn Barclay." she pulled off her glove and offered her hand.

Guinan's eyes widened as she shook her hand. "Obviously things are going to change in the future, so what are you two?"

"I'm human, the peepers are cybernetic." Geordi stated pointing to his eyes. "Geordi La Forge." he shook her hand.

"I am Data. An artificial life form." he also offered his hand.

"Alright," Guinan said as she sat decorously in a high backed chair. "You'd better have a seat and start at the beginning."

…

"So is Orion and Vulcan interbreeding common in the future?" Guinan asked Geordi as they stood and watched Taryn work her magic on the elderly verger who saw the demon with Data at her side.

"Far from it. Her grandmother is a progressive Tahedri with a taste in alien men. She has a twin brother but Taryn is unique." Geordi smiled.

"The mind boggles at what her husband must be like. She clearly worships him. Some kind of paradigm of manly beauty?"

Geordi laughed. "Not exactly, he's another one of a kind." Geordi grinned. "A brilliant engineer… It was you that convinced me to take the time and effort to get to know him. It was worth it, he went from someone five minutes away from either a transfer in disgrace or a dishonourable discharge to one of my top engineers and a pioneer in subspace communications and a good friend besides. He'll be beside himself that he lost her. They have three children. They adopted a little girl, a Grey Green Orion hybrid and have six month old twins, a boy and a girl."

"She had twins six months ago? With that figure?" Guinan shook her head. "If it wasn't for corsetry I'd hate her."

"It's not the corsetry." Geordi stated. "It's the genes."

"Did you say Grey Green?" Guinan asked with a frown. "An Orion Half-breed?

"Uh huh, Galatea. Very precocious. She's nearly seven. Bright as a button." Geordi stated.

"Is she…ill?" Guinan asked.

"She has brittle bones and had a rough start, but she's getting stronger with good nutrition and a lot of love. They love her like she was their own."

"It's a tragedy about the Grey's." Guinan stated. "They were remarkable."

"Do you know what happened to them?" Geordi asked.

"Only what my grandmother told me." she stopped as Data and Taryn returned.

"It was definitely a Vorta and she was looking at gravestones belonging to a Matthews family. She asked to see the parish records but the verger was afraid and chased her off believing she was a demon. The Vicar did not believe him because he had been drinking the communion wine. It was reported because the man told his friends at his local public house." Data explained.

"The following night someone forced the lock on cupboard where the records are kept but they didn't steal anything." Taryn stated. "We need to ask the vicar to see the records but he's out making housecalls. He'll be back by mid-afternoon."

"Well then, let's find a tea shop. It looks like rain." Guinan stated and swept away down the path.

"See? She doesn't have to be escorted." Taryn told Data and followed her.

"The worst part is she's right. Women have it rough in this era." Geordi stated. "Most of them work like dogs and get a fraction of the recognition or pay. Housework is gruelling. I saw her doing the laundry in the yard the other day, it made me sweat just watching, and she was wearing a corset. I don't know how they even breathe in those things." They both followed the ladies.

"Prejudice and inequality is a theme throughout human history. Taryn has had to face intolerance due to the colour of her skin, much as you have found in this era, but never because she was female and that has made her sensitive to the issues the Suffrage movement are raising. Orion females have long been dominant in their society despite the outward appearances they project although previously the Green sub-species were herded like farm animals by the Ruddy Orions. Perhaps indignation at being subjugated is part of their racial memory?" Data reasoned.

"It's simpler than that Data. She's pissed off because it's unfair."

…

 _2381_

"What do you mean we can't try again?" Admiral Maddox asked as Reg paled and turned away, his hand over his mouth.

"The Kai feels we have violated the sanctity of the Celestial Temple and has forbidden us from undertaking any further experiments." Picard explained via the viewscreen. "The Bajoran Government have also lodged an objection."

"We have missing people and a Jem'Hadar ship in the vicinity of Earth in the 19th Century." Janeway stated. "One false move in the past and they could alter the course of history. The Bajorans could find themselves still in the hands of the Cardassians or the Dominion. Are they aware of that?"

"The Vedek Assembly feel that if that is what the Prophets intend then that is meant to be." Picard intoned. "I have an audience with the Bajoran Government in an hour and I will argue our case, but without the support of the Kai…" he shook his head.

"Thank you Jean-Luc." Janeway said softly and the channel closed.

"It's all my fault, I should have realised…" Reg stated, leaning on a console. "I've orphaned my children because I didn't consider all the variables."

"Reg, the Bajoran Wormhole has never been mapped in subspace. There's no way you could have known." Admiral Maddox stated.

"I should have known. I'm supposed to be the expert, isn't that why you hired me?" he shouted at Bruce and stormed towards the door.

"Reg?" Dan called. "Try and chill Boss. We just need to find another way."

"I need a whizz. Okay?" Reg blurted as he stepped through the door.

He found himself back in the lab, a strange golden glow lit the room.

"You are Barclay." David stated.

"You know I am." he replied with a frown.

"You are the one who made the new threshold." Barsha stated.

"You are the one who has lost the most of all." Dan intoned.

"You are the one who must plead your case to the Kai." Admiral Paris. "Show her your motherless children. Explain what the three mean to all."

"You are the one who must plead your case to the government." Janeway stated.

"Not Picard." Maddox stated. "Picard speaks diplomacy, not from his soul as you can."

"You are needed here." Dan advised him.

"You must come through the portal you have created." Barsha urged.

"You will be safe." Dan stated.

"The Kai will listen." Admiral Paris.

"Too much is at stake for your world and ours for you to falter." Janeway told him.

He found himself in the corridor, turned unsteadily and walked back into the lab.

"That was the fastest slash in history." Dan smirked then his face fell on seeing Reg's expression.

"Are you alright Reg? You look white as a sheet." Janeway stated.

"I think I've just had a religious experience." Reg stated. "I have to transport to Bajor, but I really need to pee first."

…

"Are you sure about this Reg?" Dan asked.

"No." he replied as he stood on the transporter platform, sweating and pale. "I think I'm going to faint or throw up so can we do this now?" he blurted and fidgeted with the padd he was holding.

"Engaging system interlock, pattern buffers synchronised, phase transition coils at standby." Barsha stated and hesitated then shook her head. "I'm going to run a test cycle first. Sorry, but I need to be sure." Reg nodded and swallowed hard.

"Good luck pal." Dan said and offered his hand. Reg shook it, not even bothering to hide the fact it was shaking. "Give us a call when you need a ride home."

"You'd better stand back." Reg told him. They had erected a force field around the transporter as a precaution and Pete and the three Admirals were standing back to let the team work.

"Nah." Dan said, realising he was standing inside the field circumference. "I trust this system. It was your idea." he grinned and folded his arms. "Activate the field Dave."

"I don't know if you're brave or an idiot Dan." Reg whispered as the force field flashed momentarily when it engaged.

Dan tilted his head, "Probably both." he smiled.

"Stand by Reg." Barsha stated and Reg nodded again. "Engaging system interlock, pattern buffers synchronised, phase transition coils at standby."

"Energise." Reg squeaked and winced, closing his eyes tightly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _2381_

 _USS Enterprise, docked at Deep Space Nine._

"Deactivate the force field." Dr Crusher ordered as Reg staggered off the pad, stumbled down the steps, and sat hyperventilating. She rushed forward and crouched to scan him. "How do you feel?" She got her answer when he turned from her and threw up over the transporter platform.

" _Enterprise this is Daystrom, do you have him?_ " Dan's voice came over the com channel.

Dr Crusher nodded to Barnard with a smile and he made the reply from beside the transporter operator. "He's here Daystrom, he looks a little green and just lost his breakfast but he's otherwise fine." He walked over and offered Reg his hand to help him up. "Welcome aboard Commander, you just made the record books." Mike grinned and Dr Crusher hugged him.

"Deanna will be so proud." she smiled. "Now, we don't have much time so let's get you to the Captain." she said as she propelled him from the room. "We're docked at Deep Space Nine and he's there talking to Kai Onara and asking if she'll meet with you." she explained as she strode along the corridor gripping his arm. "Have you thought about what you're going to say?"

"I haven't had time." he stated. "They said I had to show her what they meant to people, so I...I brought something." he said as they reached the airlock.

"Refer to her as 'Eminence' when you meet her," Dr Crusher warned him, "and she's going to want to feel your Pagh."

"My what?" he shrieked as they entered the pylon and walked to the turbolift and she tightened her grip on him as he instinctively tried to escape.

"It's a Bajoran religious practice, nothing to worry about. You're not going to lose your cherry or anything." she told him as she dragged him into the lift.

"I don't know if I can do this." Reg stated as she hauled him off the lift and onto the promenade towards the temple. "I…I…I struggle to give lectures on topics I know inside out, I can't negotiate with anyone, let alone speak to a government."

"Dr Crusher?" someone with an English accent shouted over the crowd. "Dr Crusher?"

"Oh shit." she hissed. "Keep walking and ignore him." she instructed.

"Is this Commander Barclay?" Dr Bashir asked with interest.

"Not now Julian." she said firmly and kept moving.

"I'd like to examine you and discuss your experience of hyper-subspace transport Commander, I hope to write a paper on the topic." Julian said to him, struggling to keep up.

"Not now Julian." Beverly stopped and glared at him, then continued to tow Barclay across the promenade.

"Beverly, be fair. This is a huge advance in transporter technology, just the sort of thing that will get me published." the mocha skinned doctor pleaded with her. "How did it feel Commander?" Julian asked as they reached the Temple.

"When my stomach catches up with me I'll let you know." Reg replied as she pushed him in the door and braced herself in the doorway of the temple.

"Just try it Bashir." she warned.

Reg entered the temple nervously, clutching the padd. Captain Picard turned as he arrived, as did a Bajoran woman in plum coloured robes and a stylish, but simple head dress. Reg was shocked, he expected her to be at least in her middle years but she looked no older than her early thirties.

"Ah, Commander." Picard smiled, "Glad to see you arrived safely." he turned to the Kai. "Eminence, this is Lieutenant Commander Reginald Barclay."

"Thank you for t…taking the time to see me Eminence." Reg stammered as she approached him with an intrigued expression on her face and gripped his ear.

"Interesting." she smiled slightly as she released her grip. "You have a message for me?"

"Er…first of all I'd like to say it was in no way my intention to violate or breach the wor…the Celestial Temple. I had no way of knowing that what we were doing was crossing the same part of subspace and… Of course I apologise unreservedly."

"That much has already been explained to me Commander, what I need to know is why further…" she sighed. "Let's avoid the word 'violation'. You deserve a fair hearing and it's far too emotive a word. Why should I allow you recreate your experiment? You have lost three officers and that is unfortunate, but officers are lost in the line of duty every day and the Celestial Temple is most sacred to us."

"That's, well. I…had a…"

"The Prophets spoke to you." she stated.

"Yes. I think so and they told me to come here because… No offence Captain, I'm not a diplomat. They, I think they wanted me to speak for the three officers that are missing…. May I show you something?" he asked and held out the padd. She nodded, took it and stood beside him. "This was our wedding celebration and…also our first anniversary about a month ago. That's Data."

"One of the missing?" she asked. "The one you call Number One?" she asked Picard who looked surprised that she knew this and nodded.

"Yes, he's an artificial life-form, an android. He's a remarkable feat of engineering but more than that he's a person. I've never met anyone who didn't become fond of him. He's noble and honourable and…he yearns to be more than he is…to be Human." The Kai watched with interest as Data interacted at the party in the recording The Doctor had made. He smiled as a young woman, sneaked up behind him and tried to make him jump, then she pouted when her plot was foiled as he heard her coming. He put his arm around her and kissed her softly on the lips then let her take a sip from the glass of champagne in his hand. "That's Jessica, they've been dating for a few months now, he's only just got to the point where he can handle a relationship without…well, messing it up. It's something we have in common." he added with a wry twitch. "Beside him is Commander La Forge, Geordi, he's missing too… I owe him more than I can calculate…he…befriended me when I thought I was about to lose everything and had no one…I wouldn't be the man I am today without him and more than that he," Reg smiled, "he convinced me my heart's desire was within reach. That's Taryn, my wife." Reg sniffed back a tear as they watched The Doctor enter their kitchen and catch them kissing passionately, Reg looking embarrassed and shying away from the camera while Taryn gave a shy guilty smile. Gala appeared and asked her a question, then Taryn stroked her hair and nodded with a warm smile and kissed the top of her head. The girl grabbed a cup cake then ran away to play with her mocha skinned cousins and a tiny girl with Klingon forehead ridges, Miral Paris, who also took one each.

"The child with white hair?" the Kai asked.

"Our daughter Galatea, we adopted her. She's precocious and seems to be becoming a tomboy, always running and climbing trees. She scares us to death as she has brittle bones. Her condition is improving but it's like holding back the tide getting her to slow down." They watched as The Doctor followed Taryn and she walked through the crowd and joined her parents who were holding the twins. "Those are our twins." Reg smiled. "That's Andie, T'Pandra really. She's very sweet, always smiling and laughing. She bounces whenever music plays, Taryn thinks she's going to be a little dancer. The little boy, we call him Philip, Pip for short, he's green like his Mommy. He's a serious little man but he has a smile that lights up the room and a laugh that…" he swallowed. "He has his mother's laugh." he said and the images changed to more recent ones and showed Taryn spoon feeding the twins with Reg. "Forgive the camera work that's Gala." Pip pulled a face and shook his head as a reflex after tasting the pureed vegetable. "He hates parsnip, it was the first time we gave it to him." He looked at the Kai and noticed a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry." he said with a frown

"Your son…my son pulled the same face whenever I fed him moba fruit." she turned away from him, transfixed by the pictures of Pip trying different vegetables. "He died two summers ago, he was just under a year old." she wiped her eyes. "I did not expect to be reminded of him by a child so…different." She touched the screen gently as if stroking the boy's face.

"The Prophets said I should show you our children, because… They've lost their mother. They're in the crèche at the Daystrom Institute and how am I supposed to explain to them their mother who dropped them off a couple of hours ago is dead and has been for over four hundred years? They need her. Her students need her. I need her. The three of them are all needed in the here and now. Geordi will find it hard in nineteenth century Earth, people of African descent were treated appallingly back then and my wife…She…she will have to hide for the rest of her life because she's quarter Orion."

"They are all more than just officers, each of them have saved countless lives." Picard stated. "They are more than colleagues, much more." Picard intoned, speaking from the heart. "Their loss is incalculable not just in terms of their skills and knowledge but the emotional fallout…they are family to us."

"You came here at great risk, why?" she asked Reg. "The journey terrified you. I felt it in your Pagh."

"They told me…" he looked up trying to remember their exact words. "'Too much is at stake for your world and ours for you to falter'. They didn't need to tell me that. I'd walk into a volcano to find her."

"Do not falter." a smile flickered over her lips. "Children without a mother to appeal to a mother without her child." she mused. "Where I a different Kai I would be offended that the Prophets chose to visit an off-worlder, not speak to me directly, but I understand their reasons. Following the death of my child I received a vision that it was part of a greater purpose and I should turn to my faith and not falter. That vision led me to become Kai. I believe the Prophets brought you to me because your intentions are honourable and you mean no sacrilege or harm. You should be given every chance to retrieve your people, but the First Minister and his government will be harder to convince. They will fear for the stability of the gateway to the Gamma Quadrant and the loss of revenue and commerce should it cease to work."

"We have data that proves the…" Reg began.

"I will not be offended if you call it a wormhole." she assured Reg with a hand on his arm. "My faith is not so blind and insecure that I fear and reject science, unlike some of my predecessors." She gave him a gentle smile.

"Well, it was unaffected," Reg stated. "The Enterprise sent us the scans they took as they returned to this quadrant and they showed no anomalies or instability. It formed additional entrances but they closed immediately when we shut down our experiment."

"Then between us we have diplomacy, faith and science," she smiled. "Let's see if we can convince the bureaucrats."

…

"No," the Bajoran First Minister stated. "we cannot give permission for you to continue your experiments." he stated. "There is a bigger picture here. If this, Hyper-subspace beaming works our monopoly on the gateway to the Gamma Quadrant will be superfluous."

"You short-sighted fool Beril." Kai Onara hissed at the man. "This man's presence here is proof that this technology works whether we allow the experiments or not." she pointed a long finger at Barclay. "This is a rescue operation and it may damage our relationship with the Federation irreparably if we do not provide assistance."

"You are outside your remit Eminence." Beril warned. "This is not a matter of faith but of commerce."

"You are going against the will of the Prophets!" the Kai exclaimed.

"The Prophets do not balance Bajor's economy. We do." the Prime Minister advised her. "The Prophets do not run Bajor. We do." There was a rumbling of dissent within the council chamber at his words.

"The Prophets ARE Bajor you blasphemous swine!" Onara stated through gritted teeth.

"Eminence," another council member, an elderly man said calmly, "since your investiture as Kai we have enjoyed a harmonious relationship between the government and the Vedeks. Are you willing to put that at risk to make a stand over three Starfleet Officers?"

"Three or three hundred, it makes no difference as it is the Prophets will." she stated. "I make a call for a vote on this matter, it is not something the First Minister should decide autocratically."

"I second it." another voice followed.

"Carried." another chimed in.

"Very well, we shall cast our votes if you are determined to split this chamber." the First Minister hissed. "The petitioners will leave!" he stood and pointed at the door with a hand that shook with anger.

Barclay and Picard turned and walked from the chamber.

"Well," Picard stated, "makes me glad I'm not a politician." he said as they paced around the anti-room.

"What if they say no sir?" Reg asked plaintively and looked up as the door opened and the Kai emerged looking vexed.

"We lost by five votes." she told them. Barclay let out a ragged sigh and looked crestfallen.

"We'll go to the Office of Temporal Investigations." Picard stated. "I'll fly to Earth and slingshot around the sun if I have to. It will not end here I assure you Mr Barclay."

"No it will not end here. I'm going to call an emergency meeting of the Vedek Assembly. The faithful of Bajor will not tolerate Beril riding roughshod over our feelings any longer. I will call for another vote once the word is spread that they have chosen to ignore the will of the Prophets. At least some of them will change their positions once their constituents make their feelings clear."

"Eminence, it was never our intention to cause a divide in your society…" Picard stated with a frown.

"Our society has always been torn between faith and state and always will be. This is merely the most recent of many insults that faithless…politician has inflicted upon those who believe in the wisdom of the Prophets." the Kai informed him, wielding the word 'politician' as though it were the deepest of insults. "In the meantime there may be a way I can assist you further, and it will send Beril purple with rage when he finds out." She flashed them a wolfish grin. "Meet with me at the Temple on Deep Space Nine in two hours." she stated and swept from the room.

…

 _1891_

 _Hammersmith_

"What I don't understand is why didn't they search civil records if they're searching for someone in particular?" Geordi asked as Data flicked through the records.

"A break in at a register office would be big news compared to sneaking in to an open church and forcing the lock on a cupboard." Taryn reasoned. "It's not like they can just rock up and ask during office hours. The question is why do they seem to be looking for anyone at all? Surely they'd be focused on getting back to the 24th century the same as we are?"

"I can only assume they wish to change the future." Data stated.

"What if they have already?" Taryn stated. "What if Reg doesn't exist, or we never met or worse…he's married to someone else!" she started to panic.

"It will be alright." Guinan said with a hand on her arm.

"You two are destined to be." Geordi stated. "You've been through too much for it to be anything but fate."

"I have not had similar thoughts about Jessica." Data frowned. "Does that mean I do not love her?"

"Oh, Data you can't think like that." Taryn stated. "No two relationships are the same. You probably just aren't as neurotic as I am."

"I do miss her. I think of her frequently. But I do not feel anxiety that should the timeline change we will not be together. Perhaps that is how things are meant to be."

"Data, Taryn isn't just worried that she won't be with Reg, if they don't meet the twins won't be born and who knows where Galatea will end up." Geordi explained and grasped Taryn's gloved hand. "She has more to lose than either of us."

"Find anything interesting?" Guinan asked.

"Perhaps." Data stated and closed the last book and flicked closed his tricorder that was scanning for forensic traces that were not Human. "I believe we need to locate a cheesemonger named William Matthews in this Parish who was married a week ago."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Taryn reasoned and Data agreed with a nod.

…

 _2381_

 _Deep Space Nine_

Reg spent the next hour and a half being poked, prodded and interrogated by Dr Bashir and Ezri Dax but he really had no idea what to tell them. It was pretty much like the transport he experienced when he was beamed over to the Yosemite minus the creatures that bit his arm. He felt some inertia that made his stomach churn as if he were on a white knuckle ride but some of that may have been the anxiety. Bashir started bouncing up and down like a Labrador when he discovered Barclay's skewed genetic chemistry believing it to be caused by the transport until he realised this was the same Barclay that had the Protomorphosis Syndrome named after him. Something Dr Crusher didn't point out and signalled Reg to be quiet with a finger to her lips as she leaned against the wall with her arms folded, a smirk on her face. It wasn't that she disliked Dr Bashir, she explained afterwards. She found him to be a nice enough man and a good practitioner but he was what she called an 'eager beaver' who still needed to learn some lessons for himself. Dax was also friendly but it was clear she was only there to convince him to cooperate with the battery of tests her boyfriend wanted to run on him rather than counsel him, although she did have interesting questions about how his history of transporter phobia may have coloured the experience.

He had no idea what else the Kai could do to help, beyond what she had already as he entered Quark's with half an hour to kill.

"What can I get you friend?" Quark asked with an avaricious smile.

"Warm milk please?" he asked. He needed something bland to settle his stomach and it was after midday Earth time, the point where he started avoiding caffeine.

"You look like you're carrying the Bank of Ferenginar on your shoulders." Quark stated as he placed the drink in front of him and returned to polishing glasses.

"I lost my wife today." he stated flatly.

"Sorry friend, the passing of a loved one is always sad." The Ferengi began. "We have holosuites available if you seek diversion…or comfort?" he suggested pointedly.

Reg was surprised to find he was actually considering it but he pushed the urge away. " _Once an addict always an addict._ " he mused. "No, she's missing not dead, although she must be dead in terms of temporal mechanics. I accidentally opened a portal in time and…" he laughed mirthlessly. "You know I promised her once I would never let her go and that's exactly what I did, I looked into her beautiful eyes as she slipped out of my hand and was sucked five hundred years into the past."

"That's very eloquent," Quark said thoughtfully, "although you might want to rethink the word 'sucked' next time you tell it. It breaks up the rhetoric." Quark advised him. "Sounds like you need something stronger than cow juice."

He shook his head. "I'm the shit hot genius everyone's counting on to fix this mess."

Quark clicked his fingers. "You're Barclay. You know I've heard a lot about you. O'Brien and Worf often waxed lyrical about your Three Musketeers program from the Enterprise. And the Deadwood program with Miss Langford's House of Pleasure." Quark looked both ways and leaned forward and Barclay involuntarily mimicked the movement. "I'd be interested in purchasing a copy of those programs…or any others you may have…?"

"Commander Barclay, how do you feel at being the first living being to travel via hyper-subspace transport?" Reg turned to see the grinning face of a dark skinned young man holding a recording device under his nose.

"I really don't think this is a good time to bother the Commander Jake." Quark advised him.

"Jake?" Barclay asked. "Jake Sisko?" the man nodded. "You wrote a fascinating article a few months ago about my wife." Reg said sarcastically.

"Did you like it?" he asked, the sarcasm lost on him.

"The grammar and spelling was okay but it was far from an unbiased account." Reg stood and pulled himself up to his full height. The younger man was a little taller but he obviously didn't expect Barclay to be the height he was or look like he was ready to go toe-to-toe with him. Reg was certainly in no mood to give an interview. Taryn may not have felt aggrieved at the interview with Trey Masters that Sisko published but he was far from thrilled at his wife being libelled in the popular press.

"I can only write what my sources tell me…" Jake argued.

"Maybe you should be more circumspect about who you choose as a source." Barclay's voice ramped in volume with every syllable.

"I'd be happy to hear her side of the story. I wrote to Commander Prior at the Daystrom Institute…" Jake told him.

"It's Professor Barclay and she won't be giving any interviews." Reg said softly.

"In fact I'd love to interview both of you about your experiences," Jake said excitedly, "the kidnap from Daystrom, the incident with the Bastion and the Odyssey, the Daystrom Annex and the Øresund Bridge. Is it true your adopted daughter is from a disease ridden untouchable caste in Orion society? I'd love to hear what it was like for your wife growing up as the bastard green lovechild of the Judge Advocate General?" Reg grabbed him by the shirt front and they began to scuffle. Not so much a bar brawl as a dance between angry geeks.

"Is there a problem here gentlemen, Quark?" Kira asked and they stopped.

"No Commander," Quark stated. "The Paparazzi just got a little enthusiastic in his questions for Commander Barclay who's isn't having the best day. I'm sure cooler heads are about to prevail, isn't that right?"

Reg swallowed, much as he'd love to shove the journalist's teeth down his throat the last thing he needed was to end up in the security office thanks to a fight in a Ferengi bar. He released his grip on Sisko's shirt and relaxed his posture. Both combatants nodded like naughty children.

"Congratulations on your record breaking transport Commander Barclay." Kira stated and strolled away.

"I've warned you before about harassing my customers." Quark said to Jake. "Leave Mr Barclay to his drink. If he has anything to say I'm sure he'll come and find you." Jake reluctantly turned and disappeared into the crowd. "Sorry about that, he's a little tenacious."

"Thank you for speaking up." Reg said and returned to his seat. Along the bar a Lurian raised a glass to him and he nodded in acknowledgement, lifting his milk.

"Don't get Morn started. He'll talk your ear off." Quark stated. "So Taryn Prior is your wife?"

"You know her?" Reg stated.

"We had a…minor, very minor problem on a holosuite. No one was injured at all." Quark told him.

"I see." Reg stated, almost smirking, in full knowledge they only used to call her in when all hell had broken lose and bodies were flying left and right.

"You're a lucky man. Did I hear right you have a daughter?"

"We have three children." Reg said and found a picture of Galatea on their couch flanked by Andie and Pip on the padd to show Quark.

"You have a lovely family." Quark smiled. "I hope you find her. She did me a favour, she was very discreet and she didn't have to be." he handed back the padd.

Reg finished his milk. "What do I owe you?"

"On the house friend." Quark said, showing uncharacteristic generosity.

"I don't have the Deadwood program, it was Alexander Rozhenko's." Reg stated. "Watch your post for Athos, Porthos and Aramis." he said as he stood.

"What do you want for it?" Quark stated.

"I want people to enjoy it." he said. "Just don't sell it on or copy it." Reg stated, although he knew how to prevent it and planned to do just that.

"I won't." Quark grinned and rubbed his hands as Barclay left the bar and walked towards the temple. "Exclusivity is a valuable commodity."

…

 _1891_

 _Hammersmith_

"This is the place." Taryn stated as the four of them stood opposite the small shop.

"I'll go in and make some discreet enquiries." Guinan stated and crossed the road.

"Be careful." Geordi told her as he looked at the shop front carefully. "Do you see that Data?"

"Indeed." he said also watching the shop. "I see two of them." he whispered.

"Uh huh." Geordi replied and turned to Taryn. "Do you see the distortion on the sill, and the drainpipe beside the door?" he said raising his hand to scratch his nose and turning to look at the shop window behind them.

"They're shrouded." Taryn replied in a whisper.

Guinan emerged and crossed the road to them, carrying a small package. "Mr Matthews is away. He's on his honeymoon…"

"But he is due back tonight." Data stated.

"How do you know that?" Guinan asked with a frown.

"Two Jem'Hadar are watching the shop too." Taryn stated.

"They are?" Guinan asked with a frown. "Well, I hope you like stilton." she said and handed the package to Geordi.

"Do you know if your pheromones have an effect on Jem'Hadar?" Data asked Taryn.

"No. I've never met one. I don't even know if they have a libido." Taryn stated. "Do you have any money?"

"Some, why?" he replied.

"There's a good chance they're carrying disruptors, axes and ceremonial blades and we're unarmed. You're going to need me to fight and I can't fight dressed like this."

"In that case, let's go shopping." Guinan stated, took Taryn by the arm and lead her into the tailor's shop behind them.

Taryn changed in the alley behind the shop as darkness fell. She emerged wearing breeches and long socks with brogues and a shirt and jacket, with her hair tucked into a baker boy hat which also covered the points on her ears.

"How do I look? I'm hoping I'll look dark skinned if I stay out of the lamp light." she asked the others, slinging a duffel bag with her other clothes in over her shoulder.

"It works." Guinan smiled as she looked at her appraisingly. "You make a cute boy."

"What are our friends up to?" Taryn asked Geordi who was keeping look out at the end of the alley.

"Not much, they're still waiting." he replied.

"How are we going to play this Data?" she asked.

"It is hard to say given we do not know what they intend to do, however we should be prepared to use lethal force if necessary." he replied.

"Lethal force?" Guinan asked.

"I doubt they're here to ask the time." Geordi stated. "The Jem'Hadar have a warrior code similar to the Klingons, but they're killers, addicts. Bred to be devout to their last breath...someone's coming."

They peered around the wall of the alleyway as a couple got out of a carriage with two suitcases.

"Geordi, Guinan, wait here. Taryn?" Data whispered and they both crossed the street at a run.

"William Matthews?" a disembodied voice stated as one of the Jem'Hadar removed his shroud.

"Yes?" The man said with a puzzled frown, struggling to see in the dim light.

There was a flash of a blade in the alien's hand, which Data grabbed just inches from the cheesemongers chest. He twisted it from the grasp of the Jem'Hadar and threw it to Taryn, who caught it deftly and kicked the other assailant in the back of the knee pressing the blade to his throat as he dropped. Data grasped the first attacker when he went for another blade. He gripped his jaw and the back of his head and twisted it effortlessly, breaking the Jem'Hadar's neck. The couple ran to their shop and Matthews unlocked the door with shaking hands. He pushed his bride in ahead of him.

"What is your purpose here?" Data asked as Taryn held the Jem'Hadar, her hand on his forehead and her heel dug into his calf, the knife held against the pulsing artery in his neck.

"I will tell you nothing." the being spat.

At that moment William Matthews ran out of his shop brandishing a long blade Taryn recognised as a sword bayonet from a rifle and ran the Jem'Hadar through. She dodged to avoid it but the blade caught her.

"I'm on your side, you tosspot." Taryn shouted at him as the dead Jem'Hadar slid from the man's blade. Matthews turned on Data with the bayonet and he caught his wrist as he struck.

"We are here to protect you." Data stated as he disarmed him without injuring him, then noticed Taryn stagger against the shop window clutching her side.

"This was a new shirt." Taryn moaned as Geordi caught her in his arms having run across the street. "You'd better get their weapons, we'll need them." He sat her on the ground and did as she said just seconds before their bodies were beamed away.

"They didn't have energy weapons, just blades and two contemporary pistols." Geordi told Data. "Maybe they didn't want questions when the bodies were found and wanted it to look like a mugging?"

"Get inside." Data told the man. "Go with him." Data said and Guinan entered the shop with him. He dropped to his knee beside Taryn and looked at her wound. The bayonet had passed through her side leaving an entry and exit wound, it was bleeding but not severely. He took out a handkerchief, took Geordi's from him and put pressure on the wounds. "It is not too bad," he told her, "but we will need to flush the wound and dress it." She nodded and held the wounds herself as he helped her up, then lifted her as she was struggling to walk. Geordi stowed the weapons in her bag and the three of them entered the shop.

"Do you have any alcohol?" Data asked as he entered the kitchen at the rear of the shop, swept the items on the table aside and laid Taryn on it.

"Gin, whiskey, any kind of spirits?" Geordi asked as he grabbed a bowl and some clean tea towels.

"I have s…some Scotch." Matthew stammered, staring at the green creature on his kitchen table. "What is he?"

"Where?" Guinan asked and he indicated the small sitting room adjacent.

"Is Jem'Hadar blood toxic Data?" Geordi asked.

"Not that I am aware of." Data stated as he bathed the wound. "The greatest risk is from infection." He took the bottle Guinan handed to him and poured it into and around the wound. Taryn bucked and moaned through clenched teeth. He turned her and repeated the action on the other side.

"Let me help, I'm a nurse." the bride stated and helped Geordi tear up some sheets he found freshly laundered in the small scullery to make bandages. She helped Data dress the wound.

"Lizzie, it has green blood." William stated. "It's not natural."

"It's a living thing and it risked it's life against those things to help us and it's obviously a she." Lizzie protested. "I wouldn't leave a dog bleeding Billy, you know that. I'm certainly not ignoring an injured creature with two arms and two legs no matter the colour of their skin or their blood."

"Where did you obtain a bayonet?" Data asked the man as he worked.

"It was mine, from Afghanistan." Matthews replied.

"Do you have the rifle to go with it?" Geordi asked.

"Yes, but no ammunition." he replied.

"Good, at least you didn't shoot her." Geordi stated, wiping sweat from Taryn's face.

"I'm okay," she protested. "It just caught me, I couldn't get out of the way in time. As long as it's clean I can heal quicker if I…"

Data nodded. "I know what to do." he assured her.

"Get your gun and any other weapons you have." Guinan stated. "There may be more coming and we need to get out of here." She looked over at Taryn who appeared lifeless on the table. "She's not…"

"No, it is a trance to enable her to heal faster." Data explained and Geordi and Guinan went with Billy to help him gather what he needed.

"What were those things?" Lizzie asked, "and no offence but what are you?"

"That will take some time to explain, but please believe we mean you no harm and are here to protect you and your husband." Data stated earnestly.

The woman nodded. "He didn't mean to hurt her. He was just trying to protect me. Those creatures…"

"I know." Data replied with a smile as he went to wash his hands. "She is extremely resilient. I am certain she will recover."

"She sounded English, but you don't, nor do the others. She's from down south, Hampshire, maybe Wiltshire." Lizzie mused with a light cockney accent.

"You have a good ear." Data stated as he dried his hands. "She was raised on the border, not far from Andover."

"So where were you raised?" she asked as she looked at him appraisingly. "Nowhere I've ever heard of from the look of you."

"You could not be more correct." he replied.

…

"Alright, alright. I'm awake, sheesh!" Taryn protested as Data slapped her. "Where are we?"

"A boarding house." Data replied.

"And not a very good one." William Matthews moaned.

"There was another attack while you were unconscious." Guinan told her.

"Is everyone okay?" Taryn asked worriedly.

"Everyone's fine." Geordi reassured her. "The Jem'Hadar beamed out wounded this time."

"What are we going to do?" Taryn asked. "Mr Matthews has a business to run and incidentally so do we."

"I doubt they will attack in daylight." Data reasoned as he moved the curtain with his finger. "Perhaps it would be safe for you to return to your shop if you are accompanied.

"I'll go." Geordi stated, shoving a loaded pistol into the back of his trousers. "I can spot any Jem'Hadar and call if I need back up."

"Be ready to leave before nightfall. I will locate safe premises in the meantime." Data advised them as they prepared to leave and Geordi finished his cup of tea.

"Well, I have a lunch appointment." Guinan commented.

"Anyone we'd know?" Taryn asked.

"I don't know, they're quite popular at the moment but I've no idea if their works will stand the test of time. Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle."

Geordi sprayed tea from his nose and mouth. "You're kidding?!" he choked.

"You've heard of them?" Guinan asked. "I'll have to listen to them more carefully." Taryn tilted her head in Data's direction and coughed. "Mr Data, would you care to come along?" Guinan enquired, taking Taryn's hint.

"I would be honoured." he replied, his eyes bright with excitement.

"In that case I'll mind the shop." Taryn smiled.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Guinan asked looking puzzled.

The green woman lifted the side of her shirt and showed two well-healed scars on her side. "I'm certain." she grinned.

"That's incredible." Guinan replied looking amazed and felt her forehead with the back of her hand. "No sign of fever either."

"My immune system is robust. I hardly ever get sick." Taryn explained. "If the blade had gone through anything more than skin and muscle or was any more extensive I'd have been in as much trouble as anyone though. More as we can't exactly call a doctor. I was lucky."

"Let's hope we stay lucky." Geordi commented.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _2381_

 _Daystrom Institute, Earth_

Reg materialized on the transporter pad at Daystrom and fell to his knees, put down the container he was holding to one side and threw up into the bucket they had placed nearby.

"Oh God." he whispered as they dropped the forcefield and The Doctor stepped onto the pad. "This is motion sickness." he moaned, "I'm certain of it now."

"You felt inertia again?" The Doctor asked, having liaised with Beverly.

"Oh yeah." he agreed vehemently. "It's like being fired from a trebuchet at warp 9."

"Reg, didn't you used to have brown eyes?" Dan asked him earnestly.

"What?" Reg shrieked, "Oh God I have cellular degradation. Have my neurochemicals started breaking down?" he asked The Doctor, clutching his uniform desperately. "I'm going to get transporter psychosis aren't I?"

"That's not funny Dan." The Doctor stated.

"Sorry pal, I couldn't resist it." Dan sniggered.

"Is it just the pigment in my eyes?" Reg panicked still gripping The Doctor having stopped listening due to hysteria. "Oh God she likes my eyes, she'll leave me even if I do get her back."

"Reg, get a grip." Pete shouted, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him. "There's nothing wrong with you. Dan was being a jerk."

"So my eyes are…?" Reg asked plaintively.

"Still big, brown and doe like." Dan told him, slapping him on the back. "Captain Harkins is right, I'm a jerk." he admitted and helped Reg up. "Did you bring back a souvenir?" he asked looking at the strange box.

"Is that what I think it is?" Janeway asked. "You brought back a Tear of the Prophets?" she asked incredulously. "Tell me you didn't steal it?"

"I didn't steal it Admiral." Reg assured her and sighed. "A lot has happened and we need to come up with a new plan." Reg stated.

…

"Well, we know from previous times the Orb of Time has been used it's capable of safely shifting a Defiant-class ship in time and space. So the obvious choice is the prototype." Janeway stated.

"You don't understand," Admiral Maddox stated seeming panicked, "he's not ready, we haven't even had a shakedown cruise or retrained a crew…"

"I'm sure Bastion would want to help, Professor Barclay is his creator and he sees Data as a father figure." Admiral Paris argued

After much wrangling, Admiral Maddox had negotiated an experimental ship be created to test the viability of sentient starships and the core from the original Bastion was installed in another Defiant-class which they renamed the Bastion A. He was currently in orbit around Earth without a crew compliment as the details of the shakedown cruise were yet to be finalised and Bastion didn't actually need a crew unless he was in need of repair. He was however, getting lonely and bored so Taryn, Reg, Dan and The Doctor had been visiting him regularly as did Data and Geordi before they left for Deep Space 9.

"Exactly, we have no idea how he'll take the news." Maddox argued.

"He'll take it like an officer." Reg stated. "He'll take it worse if we exclude him."

"You have to include him." A voice stated from the back of the room. "It's crucial that you do."

"This is a closed meeting…" Janeway began.

"I think you should hear what I have to say. My name is Andrews and I'm a Temporal Agent."

"Since when do the Office of Temporal Investigations send operatives on their own?" Admiral Paris asked.

"They don't…yet and from my point of view it's not the OTI anymore." the shadowy figure stepped further into the room and took an empty seat uninvited, he was wearing a black ribbed jumpsuit. "I'm not an Office of Temporal Investigations Agent, but I will be a Temporal Agent in around five hundred years' time." Mason explained. "Someone is manipulating the Jem'Hadar in the 19th century from the distant future in an attempt to alter the timeline." he stated. "You are caught up in the Second Temporal Cold War."

"Well, what exactly do they hope to change?" Reg stated.

"Their target subject is you." Andrews stated. "They are trying to alter the course of your life in the present, and ensure your progeny don't exist in the future."

"Can you give us any way of corroborating your story?" Janeway asked.

"Admiral, I may know someone who can advise us. If I may be excused?" The Doctor whispered in Janeway's ear, she nodded curtly and he left the room.

"The arrival of Taryn Prior-Barclay in the 19th century was too good an opportunity for them to miss."

"It's just Barclay." Reg said darkly.

"Forgive me, I only know her from her written work and her thesis was published posthumously under that name."

"What!?" Reg exclaimed. "What do you mean posthumously?"

"Forgive me, the timeline is somewhat in flux and I miss-spoke." Andrews stated coldly.

"She finished it?" Maddox asked and Reg nodded sadly. The Doctor returned with Geoffrey Prior at his side.

"How can her being there be an opportunity…? They mean to stop her coming back with us?" Reg asked plaintively but Andrews made no response. "But, the twins are born." Reg stated. "If they kill her or she's stranded it won't alter anything. We decided never to go through fertility treatment and we used up all our luck conceiving the twins naturally. Our family is complete."

"No it's not. You, the twins and Galatea all have a destiny to fulfil and you will have another child Commander Barclay." Mason stated.

"Mr Prior?" Admiral Janeway asked.

"This is Andrews alright, and he's a Temporal Agent from the 31st century." Geoff confirmed.

"How do you know that?" Admiral Paris asked with a frown.

"He may not be a current OTI agent," he pointed at Andrews, "but I am and my presence here is sanctioned." Everyone stared at him. "You were with me at the Annex on the mission Reg, did I act like an aide?"

"No," Reg admitted, "In fact I wondered if you were Section 31 at the time."

"If I'd been Section 31 you'd never have known." Geoff stated. "You never suspected your mother."

"True." Reg stated. "But, just because I trust you, doesn't mean I trust him."

"I don't blame you, personally I think he's an arsehole and his methods are questionable to say the least, but he is who he says he is." Geoff replied.

"Wait, what about the Temporal Prime Directive? Should you even be telling us this?" David asked.

"No holds are barred due to the Temporal Cold War apparently." Geoff stated.

"I'm authorised to reveal certain things to you if it will keep things on track, but there are limits to how much and the level to which I can intervene and that is why I won't be travelling with you on the Bastion, nor should any Admiral and I can't stress that enough. Form your plan with that in mind. I will return… when you need me." Andrews stated cryptically and disappeared.

"May I suggest that you break the news to Bastion Reg?" Maddox stated and he nodded his assent.

"We'll all go. It was the team that lost them." Dan stated and Barsha and David agreed.

"In the meantime we'll muster up a crew." Janeway stated.

…

" _Welcome aboard Reg, Dan, Doctor and it is a pleasure to meet you Barsha and David Barclay. I am Bastion, please ask me if there is anything you require."_ Bastion stated as they beamed onto the Bridge along with the Orb of Time.

"Bastion, I…I have something to tell you that won't be easy to hear." Reg said as he fidgeted with his hands. "I accidentally sent your mother nearly five hundred years into the past along with Data, Geordi and a Jem'Hadar Fighter during the hyper-subspace transport test and we need to get them back to this century. We can't do it the same way we lost them as the Bajoran government aren't letting us experiment with the wormhole again but we do have the support of Kai Onara who has loaned us the Orb of Time. A Temporal Agent called Andrews showed up, but he didn't tell us much really other than it's all part of a… temporal cold war and seems to revolve around me…and your mother. We'd like you to help us. The only plan I have is to open this box and see what happens. Unless anyone has any other ideas?" he looked around and the others shook their heads. "Admiral Janeway is trying to find a crew and she hopes that you will take some of us back in time. To do what I'm not sure yet, basically whatever we can to fix this mess."

" _It is widely believed that the Temporal Cold War was resolved in the mid-22_ _nd_ _century by Captain Archer of the Enterprise NX-01."_

"What else do you know about it Bastion?" The Doctor asked.

" _A mysterious humanoid of apparent malevolent intent attempted to alter the timeline from the 28_ _th_ _century. He was unable to time travel, but was able to manifest visually. He aided a species known as the Suliban, instructing them in advanced technology and enabling them to make genetic enhancements granting them certain abilities including the ability to shapeshift and improved sensory augmentation. They acted as foot soldiers staging attacks on the Tandarans, attempting to cause civil war in the Klingon Empire and the attempted theft of a Temporal Observatory belonging to a Temporal Agent named Daniels. The humanoid also advised Captain Archer that a second faction in the conflict had prompted the Xindi to make an attack on Earth that claimed the lives of seven million Humans enabling the Captain to stage a counter attack that prevented the deployment of a second, more advanced device that would have destroyed the Earth. It could be argued that Federation operatives from the 31_ _st_ _Century constitute a third faction."_

"So basically our cock-up gave them the opportunity to go at it again." David stated.

"I feel I should say that while I'm going to go I don't expect the same of the rest of you." Reg stated. "If any of you want to beam down that's fine. I won't think any less of you if you don't want to be involved. That includes you Bastion. If you want to drop us off that's okay, regardless of what Andrews says we'll find another ship. You have a choice in this."

" _Taryn is my mother, Data is my father and you are my step-father and my friend. I would say I belong at your side but that is physically impossible unless you are outside my hull._ "

"And leave you to the tender mercies of a Mark V?" The Doctor stated.

"And miss the fun?" David stated and headed for forward conn and ops station.

"You will need an engineer." Barsha stated. "But someone will have to direct me to Engineering." she admitted.

"Who else will jerk you around if I'm not here?" Dan stated and sat at the science station. "You'll start taking yourself seriously then you'll be in real trouble."

Reg smiled, he should have known none of them would leave.

" _I have an incoming communication from Admiral Prior_."

"You're the senior officer Reg." Dan stated, tilting his head at the centre seat.

Reg blanched, both due to the incoming communique and the thought of assuming command. "On screen." he stated and sat at the engineering console.

"Admiral Janeway just called me and told me what happened." Iestyn told Reg.

"I was going to call and let you know about Taryn, I…" Reg stated.

"I get it son, you've been busy trying to get her back." the Admiral stated. "And been on a flying visit to Deep Space 9 from what I hear. You realise she'll kill you when she finds out you were the test dummy?"

"Apparently I had the Prophets watching over me. What could go wrong?" Reg smiled weakly.

"Plenty, you're a bloody fool. Don't worry, your dad is fetching the kids. Between us we'll make sure they're looked after while you're away." he sighed. "Do you have a plan?"

"Open the Orb of Time and see what happens?" Reg stated.

"You need a crew. You need an experienced tactical officer at least if you're going up against the Jem'Hadar, no offence Bastion."

" _None taken Admiral._ " Bastion replied.

" _Commander Geoffrey Prior to the USS Bastion. Six to beam aboard._ "

"Well, it sounds like you have some help." Iestyn stated with a smile. "Good luck Reg. See you soon."

"I'll find her." Reg vowed.

"I know you will." Iestyn smiled and closed the channel.

"Can you beam them straight to the bridge Bastion?" Reg stated.

" _Of course._ " Bastion stated and six figures shimmered into view.

Reg swore as he saw who had beamed onto the Bridge. "No, just…no."

"You need all the help you can get mate. Think yourself lucky." Haydn pointed his finger at Reg.

"We already have two civilians on board…" Reg argued.

"I can nick things and I have no discernible moral compass. Both skills that are transferable to the 19th century." Haydn argued.

" _I can read minds._ " Emlyn projected into their minds.

"More than that, he can manipulate people. Make them think and do what he wants." Geoff defended.

"I didn't know that." Reg replied.

" _It's not something I advertise. Not really a way to win friends although it does influence people._ " the hybrid smiled.

"Admiral Janeway approved my assignment," Tegan stated indicating herself and Aneurin "and Admiral Paris approved his. They swung it as an Academy placement for us as long as we write it up in our portfolios."

"And of course you asked two different Admirals separately hoping they don't compare notes until after we leave." Reg reasoned.

"And I look good in Victorian dresses and I'm studying history at school." Bronwyn pouted.

"Basically she bitched until Geoff gave in and said she could come with us." Haydn admitted.

"Does your father know about this?" Reg asked and sighed, knowing perfectly well he didn't. "Well, you're the ranking officer Geoff, I suppose it's up to you."

"Guys…" Geoff began.

"Look, I'll clear tables in the mess room if I have to. I'll clean the loos but I'm staying." Bronwyn protested. "You have no idea what you're facing and there may be a situation where you need a girl and Tegan's tried and true approach of shoot first, shoot some more and keep shooting till everybody's dead and then try and ask questions may not be appropriate."

"She does have a point Geoff." Nye conceded, avoiding the glare Tegan was giving him.

"I may not be the ranking Officer," Reg began after Geoff gave him a look. "But technically I'm the oldest brother and yes, we have no idea what we're facing and that's why you can't all come with us. Besides if we all go and don't come back your parents will have the time of their lives with you out of the house Bronnie. There'll be drinking and debauchery…. They'll just have too much fun and as their children you have a duty to kill their buzz."

"Reg…" Bronwyn said with a sneer.

"It's true, you don't know what it's like when you have kids." Geoff agreed. "You have to grab your opportunities where you can." He smirked at Reg. "I'll bet you that right now Mum and Dad are at it on the kitchen table, maybe even your room Bronnie. They'll have turned yours into a biohazard the day you left for the Academy Nye."

"That's disgusting. Surely they're too old for that sort of thing? I mean, Reg is pushing it." Nye stated.

"Thank you." Reg stated sarcastically. "Seeing as I'm in my dotage and obviously past it I'll be the bad guy." he stood and hugged each of the three youngest Priors in turn. "I appreciate the offer, more than you know and I promise I won't stop looking till I find your sister and bring her back. But you three have to stay here. It's just too risky."

Bronwyn, Nye and Tegan pouted as Bastion beamed them back to the surface.

"Okay, clear the Bridge you two, head for the mess and I'll find you both something to do in a bit." Geoff told his younger brothers and they filed off the bridge. "We also have a number of other volunteers, but we'll need your help to get them here. They're on Deep Space 9 and the Enterprise mostly." Geoff stated. "Cadfael may be useful too. He worked on Jem'Hadar and Dominion encryption a few years back."

"There is someone else I can think of who could really help us." Dan stated. "If you don't object to making a short detour?"

"Time is on our side." Geoff stated and looked to Reg.

Reg shrugged. "As I said, you're the senior officer."

"Are you okay Reg?" Dan asked, "You've been subdued, even for you since we came on board." he said as he sent the coordinates to the conn.

"We're all assuming when we unleash the orb we'll end up in the right place at the right time. What if we don't? We're depending on a faith none of us actually follow or even…" Reg looked up and sighed. "What if I had a hallucination and not a vision?"

"It isn't just a religion though." David stated as he set course and Geoff gave him the nod to engage. "There is science behind it all. We may not fully understand it but that's beside the point. The Bajorans have endowed it with mystique but there are aliens in that wormhole. The orbs are energy fields of various types."

"Medically they are hallucinations." The Doctor stated. "But in many cultures artefacts and substances are used to seek a higher truth. Commander Chakotay frequently went on vision quests during his time on Voyager and I even participated in the use of a medicine wheel to heal him once."

"Are you having a crisis of faith?" Barsha asked Reg.

"It would technically be a crisis of someone else's faith." Reg stated. "I haven't really stopped to breathe since we lost her. Lost them." he corrected. "I just…feel like a puppet and I wish I knew who was pulling the strings."

"In my line of work I frequently feel like I'm being swept along by destiny," Geoff stated, "at times in a barrel over Niagra Falls but sometimes you have to trust that things are meant to be and go with it."

"This morning I thought the worst that could go wrong was I'd muddle my words and the cylinder would either stay on the pad or disintegrate in transit. Now I can't get the look on her face when I let her go out of my mind." Reg stated and stood. "I'll be in the med lab. I need to send a program to a friend before we go." he stated and left the bridge.

"He worries me." Barsha stated as she took The Doctor's hand and rested her face against his shoulder.

"Andrews said that he, the twins and Galatea have a destiny to fulfil. He didn't mention Taryn and Reg won't have missed that nuance." The Doctor stated. "Or believe he miss-spoke that her thesis will be published posthumously."

"But he said there was another child to be born?" Dan frowned.

"That doesn't mean it's with her." David stated. "In his mind this isn't a rescue mission anymore and he thinks he's going to betray her in the future."

…

 _2381_

 _Jupiter Station_

"Of course we'll help. It's the very least we can do after the effort you all went to on our behalf." the Countess told them earnestly as she poured the tea and passed a cup to Reg, Dan and her husband in turn.

"What?" Moriarty snapped as he lifted the cup to his lips. "What do you mean 'we'?"

"I'm going with you of course." she advised him in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Regina, be sensible." he argued. "What about the girls?" He indicated the two small children playing at their feet in front of the guarded open fire.

"They're photonic James, I hardly think a short trip away will injure them or scar them for life. I'm sure Hayley will be happy to keep an eye on them in case they reactivate themselves from memory." The Countess argued.

"I forbid you to go!" Moriarty started then stopped and flexed his neck in his high collar. "It's unseemly for a woman of your gentle sensibilities to embark upon a mission of this sort." he advised her with forced calm.

"Gentle sensibilities?" she asked incredulously. "May I remind you I went on safari in Africa when I was seventeen. I've urinated behind bushes James. I'm sure I can cope with London in our own era."

Reg exchanged an embarrassed glance with Dan at being present for this matrimonial spat. "We really need to be on our way…"

"Yes, and we're both coming with you and that is final." she glared at her husband. "James just needs a few moments to make arrangements for the girls and he will join us shortly, because this is the 24th century and parents should share childcare responsibilities!" she snapped. "Don't you agree Commander?" she smiled sweetly at Reg.

"Er yes." Reg agreed, more because he was terrified of contradicting her than because she was right. And he thought Taryn was a force to be reckoned with when she got her dander up.

"Be good Lizzie, Tina." she said as she knelt and kissed her tiny daughters. "Mama and Papa will be back before you know it." she promised. "Gentlemen?" she prompted as she stood and Reg tapped his communicator.

"Bastion, three to beam up. The Professor will be joining us shortly." Reg smiled apologetically at the former Arch-Villain as the beam was energised.

…

"Engaging system interlock, pattern buffers synchronised, phase transition coils at standby. Energising." Barsha stated.

"Wow." Dr Bashir looked shaky after he materialized on the pad. "That was… excuse me…." he turned and projectile vomited over the transporter pad.

"At least it's not just me." Reg whispered to Barsha as Dan stepped forward to assist their new crewmate.

"Perhaps we need that bucket again, or a pail of some sort?" Barsha suggested.

"Barclay to Enterprise." Reg stated. "Dr Bashir is with us safely but we have to clean up our pad before the next transport. You may want to give the other volunteers a shot for motion sickness…and… maybe send them holding sick bags." he suggested.

" _Acknowledged Commander."_ came the reply.

"Welcome aboard." Reg said to Dr Bashir.

"That was incredible…" the doctor babbled. "Remarkable…sorry Commander it's good to see you again." he shook Reg's hand.

"Bastion will direct you to your quarters, but I'm sure you know your way around a Defiant-class." Reg told him as he walked him to the door and it opened. "There'll be a briefing in the mess room at 1430 hours."

"Yes of course. I'm sorry, who is Bastion? I thought that was the name of this ship."

" _It is Dr Bashir. I am Bastion, the Daystrom Institute's prototype sentient ship. If there is anything I can do to assist you during your stay, please let me know. If you'll walk this way please?"_ Lights flashed along the centre of the wall to indicate the direction.

"A sentient ship?" he smiled. "How fascinating." he stated as he followed the lights.

The Ferengi howled with excitement as he materialised. "That was exhilarating." he announced. "Sorry sir, Lieutenant Nog reporting for duty." he stood to attention and saluted.

"At ease Lieutenant." Reg smiled.

"Yeah, chill it. We're not big on spit and polish here." Dan warned him.

"Bastion, the on board AI will see you to your quarters and there will be a briefing at 1400 hours in the mess room, introductions will be taken care of then." Reg stated with his best classroom manner.

"On board AI? You mean this ship is…"

"Alive." Barsha stated as she made the checks before the next transport.

"Just treat Bastion as you would any fellow officer and you'll be fine." Reg stated with a smile.

"If you don't mind I'd like to wait for the next person to transport sir." Nog requested and Reg nodded in agreement.

"You're kidding me?" Reg breathed as the man materialised. "Look, this isn't a press junket Mr Sisko, so we'll just transport you back…"

"Wait, listen…" Jake protested. "I know I owe you a huge apology, not just about that article. Firstly, I was clearly misled although I did get corroboration for what it was worth."

"Obviously not much." Reg told him coldly.

"Secondly I had no idea you transported to Deep Space 9 to try and rescue anyone, least of all your wife. I heard a whisper about the transport and jumped in hoping to get an article out of it." the young man drew a deep breath. "Thirdly I apologize unreservedly for calling your daughter disease ridden and your wife a bastard green love-child." he stated. "Fourthly I have approval from Admiral's Janeway and Maddox to accompany this mission. They think it's about time people knew about what your wife does. Her work with AI and inorganic life should be yelled from the rooftops, not kept as a dirty secret." Jake handed him a padd with his orders on it.

Reg sighed as it looked legitimate. "I'm going to confirm this."

"I wouldn't expect any less." Jake told him. "I'm sure Nog will vouch for me too."

"I agreed to that before I found out you called his wife, a superior officer and a professor at Daystrom a bastard green love-child." Nog hissed.

"Technically it's true." Reg admitted. "If she were here she'd tell you she's been called worse." he smiled briefly at the thought of her and sighed. "I know your father holds a rank and you've found yourself in the thick of it during the Dominion War but if this checks out you're an observer only and I want to see every word you write before it's published and…"

"I won't publish a thing without your express permission sir." Jake stated. "You have my word."

"He's a man of his word sir." Nog confirmed. "His integrity as a journalist is everything to him."

"We got off on the wrong foot Commander Barclay. I'd like the opportunity to set the record straight." Jake told him earnestly and offered his hand.

"You can start by meeting Bastion and getting out of the way. Incidentally Taryn is his mother so watch what you say about her in public areas." Reg warned as he shook the young man's hand.

"His mother?" Jake asked Nog as they left the room.

"This ship is sentient!" Nog exclaimed excitedly.

…

"Well, we have slightly less than a skeleton crew." Geoff stated.

"And thief, a telepath, a journalist, an assortment of civilians and the Prophets." Reg added. "Not exactly the team of crack commandos you'd normally send up against a platoon of Jem'Hadar on a rescue mission."

"I've done more with less," Geoff told him as their crew murmured in the Mess Room. "Number One." he smirked.

"Oh God no, I can't handle that." Reg protested.

"You've been handling it just fine since you came aboard, I just never pointed it out."

"Can I be Number Two?" Dan grinned.

"You're already a number two." David commented and Geoff laughed.

"What's so funny?" Barsha asked.

"Number two is slang for… excrement." Reg explained.

"Oh." Barsha said thoughtfully. "He's right, you are a number two Dan."

"Well, no time like the present, time and tide and all that…" Geoff stated and stood up. "Okay people simmer down." he waited for them all to go quiet. "I'm Commander Geoffrey Prior and all of you are now part of the privileged few that are aware that I am an operative from the Office of Temporal investigations. Something my wife isn't even aware of. Before you ask, for this mission I am partnered with a Temporal Agent from the 31st Century named Andrews. He is currently… elsewhen." There was a brief flutter of laughter from the crowded room. "No doubt he will be revealing himself as and when he feels like it so for now consider him to be part of the team in an advisory capacity. For the duration of this mission you have all been seconded to the Office of Temporal Investigations. Our mission is to retrieve Commander's Data and La Forge and Professor Taryn Barclay from the 19th Century and neutralise the temporal incursion by a Jem'Hadar fighter. The command structure is as follows. I am the acting Captain. You all met Lieutenant Commander Barclay when you arrived who will be my First Officer. Our Chief Engineer is Barsha, yes she is a civilian and yes she is an Orion and no, she isn't green." he winked at Barsha as he walked to and fro. "Lieutenant Barnard I would like you to take charge of the Tactical Station and Security, Ensign Ashby here is our Science Officer and David Barclay will be manning Ops and Mission Ops which will be separate to the Conn for this mission. Acting as advisors on 19th Century etiquette are the Professor and Mrs Moriarty, the Countess Regina Bartholemew. Lieutenant Nog, how does taking the Conn sound?" He smiled as the Ferengi grinned. Sitting next to him is Mr Sisko, a gentleman of the press who will be acting as an observer. Lieutenant Cadfael Prior will be handling Communications as he has extensive experience with Jem'Hadar encryption codes. Haydn Prior, when he stops picking his nose, is our… appropriations officer..." Haydn nodded thoughtfully at his title. "and beside him is Emlyn Prior. He is a high rated telepath, I'm sure we'll find his skills of use. Taking care of our medical needs are The Doctor and Dr Bashir, they're…still discussing which of them has seniority. If the rest of you could raise your hands as I call your names please?" He looked at the group of men and picked up a padd. "In no particular order we have the Security boys. Lieutenant Christopher Moran, Ensign David Rickman, Ensign Tokoth, Ensign Simon Fong, Lieutenant Jack Parton, Ensign Steven Penn. We also have some Engineers who will be assisting Barsha, Lieutenants Vorik, Irox and Jordan McKittridge. It looks like the girls all had more sense than to go on your white knuckle ride Reg." Geoff smirked at his brother in law.

"My wife wanted to come and so did Jess Danning but they're pregnant and had to cover me at Tactical on the Enterprise respectively." Mike Barnard stated.

"Congratulations… On the baby not needing cover obviously." Geoff grinned. "You may be wondering why we have such a small crew compliment. Basically the nature of this mission is a temporal intervention and the fewer of us there are the less risk to the timeline. Also, as you have all been made aware the last, but by no means least member of our team does not require a traditional crew compliment in order to function. I am of course referring to Bastion, the artificial construct that functions as the ships computer and is as much a part of this crew as any of us. Yes, a number of the team are related to both Commander Barclay and myself and if you have any comments regarding nepotism stow it. Everyone is here on merit and because they volunteered." He continued pacing for a moment. "While this is a rescue mission, and those missing are family or as good as family for most of us the priority is the preservation of the timeline. Our three lost sheep are aware of that and are no doubt working towards that end in the past. We are a small team, there's little room here for egos and demarcation of departments. If I ask you to do something beyond the scope of your job description do it. If you have insufficient expertise say so. If you have questions ask them, no one will think any the less of you." He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "First things first. Each and every one of you that is organic in nature are to report to Sickbay for inoculation and health screening…Yes Lieutenant Nog?" he noticed a raised hand.

"Sir, why are inoculations necessary, particularly as I'll be unlikely to leave the ship?" the young Ferengi asked.

"Good question. The inoculations are to protect you from 19th century diseases and the screening to protect the 19th century from ours. The reason we are all to be inoculated is in the event of the destruction of this ship no one will go down with it. Even Bastion has an ejectable module containing his programming." He smiled. "We'll hide you if we have to. It's a safe bet my sister isn't strutting down the high street with her green hide on display. Fortunately, we're headed to an era where it was common to hide scars and deformities however you could and that will enable those of non-Human heritage to pass. Which brings me to the next point, wardrobe. Sorry Barsha, corsets are mandatory and the Countess and the Professor will be on hand in Cargo Bay Alpha to advise you and the gentlemen respectively on Victorian fashion. Those remaining aboard will be provided with a go bag to keep your period clothing in, consider it a second uniform and keep it with you at all times in the event we have to evacuate. As to a plan of action, much of it will need to be played by ear but to start with we will scan for our people, if need be the Professor will take up residence in a hotel and search parties will be co-ordinated from there. We will deal with the Jem'Hadar ship on the loose as necessary. That will be all, if you have any questions I'll be loitering here with Commander Barclay for the next few minutes and we'll do our best to answer them."

…

Geoff pressed a panel on the Command Chair. "Attention all hands, this is Commander Prior we are about to Open the Orb of Time. Please ensure your seatbacks and trays are in an upright and locked position and brace yourselves for some weird shit to go down." He looked over at Reg as he closed the channel. "Shields up, yellow alert. Well, Mr Barclay, I think it's time to open Kai Onara's gift."

Reg paled and took a deep, ragged breath. He grasped the doors of the ark and pulled them open to reveal a green glowing rotating orb in the shape of an hourglass which bathed the Bridge in green light.

"We have a Jem'Hadar fighter on an inbound vector." Barnard reported from the tactical station. "It's in an attack posture and armed to the teeth."

"Go to red alert. Evasive manoeuvres Mr Nog." Geoff ordered. "Mike, target that ship and fire at will. When and where are we Mr Ashby?"

"Sol system, Earth orbit. Running celestial calendar match. Null response from Orbital Tracking, Planetary Flight Control or the Lunar Colony. Celestial fix has us in the late 1800's."

"Thank you Wormhole Aliens. Dave, find our people on the surface." Geoff ordered as disrupter fire rocked the ship. "Bastion, damage report?"

" _My port shields are at 95%. No damage._ " Bastion reported.

"Mr Barnard?" Geoff enquired.

"Direct hit. Enemy shields at 80% Mike replied.

"I'm not picking up any combadge signals on the surface and no positron emissions." Dave reported from a station that had been reconfigured for ops.

"Are we too early?" Dan asked from the Science Station.

"We can't be. The Jem'Hadar are here." Dave reasoned.

"Centre sensors on London and scan for Taryn's biosigns." Reg suggested. "She should stand out like a sore thumb in this era."

"Nothing, but I'm picking up a number of Jem'Hadar spread across London." Dave reported. "Maybe we're too late?"

"The Jem'Hadar have gone to warp." Barnard stated with a puzzled frown.

"Pursuit course sir?" Nog asked.

"No, they'll be back for their people. Let's find ours and work out what they're playing at on the surface." Geoff stated.

"They sent an encoded transmission before they went to warp." Cadfael reported. "Federation ship in Sol System, please advise?"

"They called their mysterious benefactor? Can't be good." Geoff stated. "How many Jem'Hadar are planetside?"

"Hard to say, I can't get a clear scan. I think they have a dampening field set up somewhere." David reported. "I might be able to get better resolution given time."

"Okay, keep working on it. Bastion, please beam Professor Moriarty's team to the location we discussed." Geoff stood and walked to the tactical station. "Mike, I want teams of no less that two, no more than three standing by for beam down to the surface. I want any civilians to have a Starfleet escort wherever possible and wait for my word to deploy them. Mr Barclay, with me. The Bridge is yours Mr Barnard." They both left the Bridge. "I have a special job for you Reg. I want you and the Countess to check out the shop in Highgate. Moriarty is setting up his base of operations at the Langham Hotel and the Countess is with him, it'll be a safe point to beam people in and out for the London area unseen. I need you to find my sister. You know how she thinks and you know how Data and Geordi think and the Countess knows the era. She can steer you around."

"Okay." Reg agreed. "I'll go and change."

 _Author's note._

 _Yes, Bronwyn used a quote from the movie Wild Wild West._

 _In the next instalment..._

 _...Will Reg find Taryn?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Can I help you sir, madam?" the young man asked politely.

"We wish to speak to the proprietors?" the Countess asked.

"They aren't here ma'am. Mr Soong is away and Mr La Forge and Mrs Barclay are took ill."

"What?" Reg blurted. "What's wrong with them?" he asked desperately.

"Scarletina sir, then she was took bad with rheumatic fever."

"Is she here? I need t…to see her." he stated.

"They moved them sir, to Madame Guinan's house at Ladbroke Grove as it's more comfortable and warmer." the boy replied.

"Guinan? Madame Guinan?" Reg repeated with a frown.

"Do you have the address please?" the Countess asked politely.

"No ma'am." the lad replied. "Can I pass on a message?"

"Very well, please let Mr Soong know that Mrs James Moriarty and Leftenant Commander Barclay called. We can be contacted at the Langham Hotel." the Countess said and they turned to leave.

"Leftenant Commander Barclay? I thought you were dead?" the shop boy asked. "I thought Mrs Barclay was widowed."

"He was…lost at sea for some time. As you can imagine it's imperative we locate Mrs Barclay." the Countess intoned.

"I'll see Mr Soong gets the message as soon as I see him ma'am." the boy stated and they left the shop.

"They told people I was dead?" Reg asked incredulously.

"They had to say something. A young unmarried woman living over a shop with two bachelors is questionable in this era but a widow, possibly inheriting from a business partner is quite a different matter. You are the Barclay on that shop front Commander, not her."

He nodded, he supposed it made sense. "Scarletina is scarlet fever right? That and rheumatic fever are can both be fatal in this century. No antibiotics, they won't even be able to call a doctor for her."

"Commander there is no point in panicking." the Countess told him as she put her arm through his. "By the sound of it they have moved them to better lodgings, they are doing all they can for them." she intoned. "We have no other option than to wait."

Reg couldn't believe he'd come so far and still couldn't find her. He sighed and rubbed his wedding ring with his thumb. "No we don't, I have an idea. But I need to contact the ship."

He was as nervous as a bridegroom as he rang the bell, in fact more nervous than he had been when he was one. It hadn't taken long for Bastion to pick up Taryn's tritanium wedding ring in Ladbroke Grove now they had narrowed the area down and find the address. "I'd like to see Mrs Barclay please?" he blurted before the footman had a chance to speak.

"Mrs Barclay is indisposed." the young man stated.

"I'm her husband." he told him.

"The doctor is with her sir." he stated as he showed him into the salon. "I'll see if he'll speak with you." Reg fidgeted with his hat and paced as he waited for news. "He says to show you through to the orangery.

"Oh God." Reg exclaimed as he saw her. She looked pale and drawn and her lips grey. She was fighting to draw breath. He dropped to his knees at her side, clutched her hand and stroked her cropped hair from her forehead, she was barely conscious.

"She hasn't long, I'm afraid." the doctor stated sympathetically. "Her heart's giving out."

"Sorry, who are you?" Reg asked.

"The name's Doyle, I'm a friend of Madame Guinan. I'm a doctor, although I've been specialising in ophthalmology of late and I write books."

"Not Arthur Conan Doyle?" Reg asked incredulously.

"The very same. Your friend Mr La Forge is upstairs, he's ill but he's not as bad as her at present. I brought her down here as she seems to like the sunlight. Poor creature…"

"You… understand about her?" Reg asked.

"Some of it." Doyle replied, taking her pulse. "I don't believe for a moment she fell into a vat of dye as a child, put it that way. I tended to her nosebleeds, dye would never make her blood green. What is she?"

"I have to take her." Reg stated. "Do you have some blankets or something I can wrap her in?"

"It's too late man…" Doyle stated.

"Is it really you?" she whispered breathily and stroked Reg's face.

"I came to get you." he replied and kissed her fingertips. He wrapped the shawl that was on her lap around her head and shoulders to cover her face then picked her up in his arms, she felt light as a feather, she had lost a lot of weight.

"She shouldn't be moved, let her spend her final moments in peace." Doyle pursued him through the main house.

"I'll send someone for La Forge shortly." Reg told him as he strode away. "Thank you for taking care of her." He opened the front door with the hand that was under her legs and pushed it open with his foot.

"I can't just let you take my patient." Doyle protested as he reached him. "I have a duty of care." He grabbed Reg by the shoulder and pushed the door shut in front of them.

Reg turned. "Please, there's a chance I can save her if we leave now." he begged.

"How?" Doyle asked incredulously. "Look, I want answers. What is she?"

He didn't have time to argue or explain and he certainly couldn't tell him two of her grandparents hailed from other planets. "It's not so much what she is…but what her mother is." Reg stated. "Her father is a Welshman."

"And her mother?" Doyle aske expectantly. "Some eldritch, heathen creature?"

Reg had never heard a better description of Taryn's biological mother. "She's a a…" he searched for the words.

"One of the fae?" Doyle ventured.

Taryn had once told Reg the secret to a believable lie was to let them make up most of it themselves. Somewhere in his memory an old tale he had once heard Taryn's father tell while drunk resurfaced. "Yes, she's a fairy, an absinthe fairy."

"La fee verte? Well I never." Doyle smiled. "That would explain a lot, when I analysed her skin tissue it appeared to contain chlorophyll, the agent that gives absinthe its colour."

"Nine months after a heady night of intoxication and lust in the arms of the green fairy he found a basket at his door. In it was a tiny green daughter and he raised her." Reg explained.

"I see."

"There's a wise man, a…an elemental being made of light with a… bald head who may know of a way to save her. I really need to take her to him…"

"Of course man." Doyle said as he opened the door. "Let me know how she fares…either way."

"I will." Reg replied over his shoulder and headed for the carriage where the Countess was waiting.

"Is it true what they say? Did the green fairy steal his soul?" Doyle asked.

"No, but I gave her daughter mine." Reg replied and strode down the path.

"What took so long?" she asked as he lifted her into the carriage and climbed in.

"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn't want me to take her." Reg replied. "I told him a load of rubbish."

The Countess stared at him. "He won't be a sir yet… You didn't tell him she was a fairy did you?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

She giggled. "Aside from Sherlock Holmes Doyle was famous for believing in fairies. He fell for a hoax perpetrated by two little girls who had photographs they claimed were of Fae Folk. He was long dead by the time they admitted it thank goodness. Who'd have thought he got the idea reinforced by you two." She looked at Taryn. "I don't like her breathing, or her colour."

"No." Reg stroked her hair. "She cut her hair."

"They'll have done that to treat her fever." the Countess stated.

Taryn's eyes flickered open and she smiled at Reg. "You're still here."

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again." he kissed her forehead. "Hang on Pickle, as soon as we reach the hotel we can beam up to Bastion. There's just too many people around that will see us at this time of day. The Doctor's standing by, he'll get you back on your feet in no time."

She shook her head. "I think… it's too late, I'm… so sorry." she gasped.

"Don't talk like that." She gasped and stroked his face as he shook his head.

"You need to tell the…children…I…"

"They know you love them." he whispered into her hair as he cradled her in his arms.

"The babies…won't… remember me."

"They will because you're going to be fine."

"I missed their bi…rthday. Are they walking yet?"

"No, you haven't missed anything."

She frowned at his words. "I really wanted to make… another baby with you…I know I said I…didn't but…I was hoping if you found me… we could maybe try the fertility treatment…but I got sick…"

"Shh, just concentrate on getting better." he whispered into her ear as he held her.

"You look really… handsome dressed like that…" Her lips curled into a smile.

"This collar is cutting my head off." he replied.

"Try…a corset." Taryn responded.

"We're here." the Countess stated.

Reg covered her face with the shawl, stepped down from the carriage then pulled her into his arms. He strode quickly into the hotel and up the stairs to their suite, while the Countess asked at the desk for any messages.

He beamed directly to sickbay as soon as the door was closed where The Doctor and Dr Bashir were standing by.

"I didn't see Geordi but I was told he isn't as bad as her." Reg said as he placed her on the surgical table. "I said someone would be fetching him shortly.

The Doctor's expression was grave as he examined her. He cast a look to Dr Bashir who nodded. "I'll replicate one." the augmented doctor stated.

"Replicate what?" Reg asked.

"She has myocarditis, her immune system has attacked her heart muscle, it's too badly damaged to repair. We need to replace it." The Doctor explained as he hastily began his preparations.

Reg began to hyperventilate. "Oh…"

"It's her best chance Commander." Bashir stated. "If you'll excuse us we need to prepare for surgery." he said as he dashed around. "Bastion, are there any personnel rated as medics on board?"

" _No Dr Bashir, if you require assistance the on-board EMH is available."_ Bastion replied. Bashir sighed and headed for the medical lab.

"Quin is next to useless, he's not a team player." The Doctor stated. "This is going to be risky with just the two of us."

"This ship doesn't have a Mark V." Reg stated as he clutched Taryn's hand and gazed into her face. "It has the new prototype. Bastion, activated the EMH please?"

A dark haired Bajoran female figure materialised in the medical bay, she looked at Taryn's readings. "Prosthetic cardiac replacement Doctor?" she asked The Doctor and he nodded. "Very well, I'll assist you."

"You'll assist me?" The Doctor asked incredulously. It was the first time he'd met an upgraded EMH that spoke to him like a colleague rather than one of the cleaners or worse. something on the bottom of their shoe.

"I can take point of you prefer…"

"No, your assistance is appreciated. I have particular knowledge of this patient's physiology, it's quite unusual and I will be taking the lead. We also have Dr Bashir."

"Leeta?" Julian asked in disbelief as he returned carrying an artificial heart on a tray.

"No, her likeness was used, with her permission, in creating my matrix. Dr Zimmerman called me Six during my development." the female hologram smiled.

Reg blanched on seeing the heart. "Is that it?"

"We'll take good care of her Mr Barclay." Six said as she put her arm around him and steered him towards the door. "This is going to take a while so why don't you go and find something to do in Engineering or better still, get something to eat and maybe try and get some rest. You look tired."

"I'll try, thank you." he whispered and walked dejectedly from sickbay, rubbing the back of his neck.

"How do you know who he is?" Julian asked.

"He has his combadge on the back of his lapel out of sight, I cross referenced his name with the Starfleet personnel database and found his full service and medical records. He has a wife who is an Orion hybrid and is likely to seek occupation rather than rest. He needs to deal with this situation as best he can, from his psychological profile he will have emotional concerns regarding his wife being given an artificial heart beyond his fears for her welfare." she explained as she made herself busy with the preparations for the surgery.

"Surely he isn't thinking she won't love him if we change her heart?" Julian asked.

"I expect he's thinking exactly that." The Doctor replied. "There has never been a prosthetic cardiac replacement on an Orion to my knowledge. There may be complications."

"It's not like we have a lot of choice." Julian stated.

…

"They kept finding us, everywhere we went until we realised they were tracking Data's positronic signature, the power signature from my optical implants and Taryn's wedding ring and biosignal so we split up. Taryn and I were the decoys and Data went on the run with the Matthews. We dismantled the temporal scanner we built and our combadges and made a dampening transmitter to hide Data from scans that we retrofitted into his abdominal cavity. I don't know where he is." Geordi explained to Barnard as Dr Bashir treated him in Sickbay.

"And this couple called Matthews were the Jem'Hadar's target?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, when they realised they weren't with Taryn and I they left us alone. We stopped off at a boarding house along with Guinan on the way back to London and there was a kid there that was sick. It never occurred to us we'd get scarlet fever. They said adults don't get it."

"That's because most children gained enough antibodies by the age of ten if they hadn't had the disease themselves." Bashir explained. "It was certainly unusual in adults in this era."

"As soon as you feel up to it Commander Prior would like you to join him in the search for Data." Mike explained. "I'm sure we can find a dampening field to hide your implants. We'll need to supply them to any non-Humans on away duty too from the sound of it."

"Sure, I feel fine now if Dr Bashir is happy to release me." Geordi stated.

"I don't see any problem with that." Julian smiled.

"I just feel awful that Taryn got so bad. Is she going to be okay?" Geordi asked with concern as he looked over at The Doctor and Reg by her bedside.

"She's out of surgery. She's fighting and we're doing all we can Commander." Bashir assured him.

"She's not out of the woods yet. This is the first time this technology has been used in a patient with Orion DNA, it appears to be functioning well but there may be eventualities we haven't anticipated." The Doctor explained to Reg as he stroked her hair from her forehead. Her colour looked better and her breathing was now even and relaxed. "We found damage to her hedroxal gland in addition to her cardiac tissue, it's in the process of failing. We've started hormone and coagulant therapy. It's still too early to see how well she'll tolerate it. Hopefully, when we return to our own time and have access to a genitronic replicator we'll be able to create a replacement."

Reg nodded. "But so far so good?"

"So far so good." The Doctor confirmed with a smile. "She should wake up soon. I'll leave you with her."

…

It was a dream she'd had often, waking slowly, cradled in familiar arms. His scent, the warmth of his body, his breath against her hair. Soon the twins would be stirring in their cribs and she would nestle one beside her sleeping husband while she fetched the other and she would nurse them. She loved this time of day, Reg would wake up and talk softly to the babies, stroking them gently as they suckled and Galatea would come in and tell them what she'd dreamed about. They were all early risers and this was a few stolen moments of family time before the bustle of the school and work day started.

She nestled into Reg's shoulder and raised her hand to his chest. His top felt nice under her hand but it felt unfamiliar. It was a shirt, the kind Data and Geordi had been wearing with a removable starched collar and cuffs. She must have washed them a hundred times. She ran her fingers along the rounded collar and caressed his suprasternal notch at the base of his throat then lazily ran her finger along his collarbone under the fabric of his shirt, her eyes still heavy with sleep. He stirred and kissed her forehead gently then tensed beside her.

"Taryn?" he asked and shifted to look at her face.

"Shh, I don't want this dream to end yet." She sighed deeply.

"No you need to wake up." Reg said and shifted position to look at her face. Her hand slid to the back of his neck and she seized his lips in a searing kiss. "I need to call The Doctor." he said reluctantly.

"I don't want to make love to him." She smiled.

"You shouldn't be making love to anyone, you've just had major surgery." he protested trying to wriggle from her grasp.

She threw her arms around his neck. "Oh God you're really here. I'm really here, this is real." she sobbed as she held him tight.

"It's real." He smiled as he held her just as tightly. "I thought I'd lost you, twice. You were only gone eight hours and when I found you…you looked so ill…"

"Eight hours? It's been over six months." she protested.

"Six…six months?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yes." She nodded.

"The three of you held off the Jem'Hadar for six months?" he asked looking amazed.

"Five months really. We don't know what they were doing for the first few weeks."

"So that's how you got so many scars and the damage to your hands." Dr Bashir said as he appeared at the foot of her bed. "We treated all the scar tissue."

"Oh that was the bare knuckle fighting I did for the first month or so." she replied dismissively.

"Sorry? Bare knuckle fighting?" Reg said angrily, grasping her by the upper arms and glaring at her.

"Well, we had to make money somehow. We were really struggling until we got the idea to start the shop. I was painted with leaves and vines. It was a gimmick. No one worked out the green was mostly my real skin."

"So Data had you brawling like some side-show attraction?"

"It was my idea, the purses weren't great but the boys made bets on me to win. I was undefeated." she added as a half-hearted excuse. "You always said you liked the idea of me rough-housing with girls."

"Well…yes but I sort of had a private viewing in mind not… in front of a baying crowd…you were undefeated? How many fights?"

"Two or three a week for eight weeks I think. I did have a significant genetic advantage and I was fighting tarts not trained athletes."

"Even so…" he said appraisingly.

"How did you get the wound to your side?" Julian asked. "You were lucky you didn't nick your bowel as it passed through."

"Oh that was a bayonet." she said dismissively.

"You were run through with a bayonet?" Reg asked angrily.

"Run through is a little strong, it just caught my love handle." she argued.

"Love handle? You…you've never had a love handle in your life. You're like a…a…lioness all lean and toned, even while you were pregnant."

"I was flabby after I had the twins." she reminded him.

"You had a little soft tummy for all of a month or so and…that's beside the point. What were you doing to get stabbed with a bayonet? How did you get scarlet fever for that matter?"

"She won't have had any anti-bodies. The strain of streptococcus that causes the disease was eradicated centuries ago." Dr Bashir explained. "It was among the bacterial agents we immunised you and the away team against."

"Oh my God, did Geordi get it too?" she asked desperately.

"Yes, but he fared better than you did. He's gone back to the surface already."

"I should go too." she said and got off the biobed.

"No." Reg said flatly. "You're benched for the duration. Not open for debate." he added to silence her protests.

"He's right. We need to keep an eye on you." Julian confirmed. "You can leave Sickbay but you need to stay on board Bastion."

"But I feel fine…"

"You…" Reg looked at Dr Bashir. "There's no easy way to tell you this Pickle. You have an artificial heart and your hedroxal gland is failing."

"I…" she paled and leant on the biobed for support.

"We aren't certain what complications there may be due to your unique physiology. Had I known how fascinating your anatomy is when you visited Deep Space 9 I'd have made some excuse to examine you."

"I'd just got used to the idea of producing pheromones." she whispered.

Reg took her in his arms and rocked her against his chest as she began to sob. "As soon as the Orb of Time takes us back The Doctor is going to make you a new one in a genitronic replicator."

"So I'll test the procedure for Gala?" she asked.

Reg sighed as she looked up at him with hope in her eyes. "I hadn't thought of it like that, but I suppose so."

"Well, that's not so bad then." She sniffed back her tears and pulled away. "I really don't want to stay here, I mean Sickbay of course. Are there quarters available?"

"Of course, The Doctor will want to discuss your ongoing therapy but I'm sure he'll find you." Julian smiled. She nodded and left Sickbay still dressed in a surgical gown without a further word. "Is she going to be alright?" he asked Reg with a frown.

"I don't know." Reg frowned and followed her. He found her waiting outside.

"I don't know the way." she whispered.

"Um…well mine are this way…did you want your own?" he asked.

"What?" she asked with a hurt expression on her face.

"The way you asked if there were quarters available I thought…" he said sadly and sighed deeply. He took her by the arm and drew her to one side. "Look, it's been six months for you, and you thought you might go into season soon and…if you had to be with someone else I'd, well I'd understand and…technically I wasn't even born at the time and it wouldn't alter how I feel about you but I'd rather know."

"I did go into season." she stated and he dropped his head. "Data helped me…"

"Oh God…" Reg started to hyperventilate, why did have to be Mr Multiple Techniques. No wonder she was being strange, she was probably planning to run off with him. He felt her hand in the centre of his chest and she looked up at him.

"…by building a…an adult toy."

"So you didn't?" She shook her head, "Not with Data?"

"Not with anyone but the thought of you. As if I could even think of it." She smiled warmly. "I even called my toy Reg." she admitted.

"Oh thank God." He clutched her against his chest, "I mean, I meant what I said but…"

"And to answer your next question Vibro-Reg wasn't as good or as big as you." she whispered into his shoulder.

"I wasn't going to ask that." he protested. "I was thinking it though." he whispered into her hair, "Are you feeling up to a detour before I show you our delightful quarters?"

She nodded. "What do you have in mind?" He took her hand and led her towards one of the medical labs that had holo-emitters fitted.

"Well, you know you always look beautiful to me, but it looks like someone cut your hair with a knife and fork. It's all odd lengths. I think you should get something done with it before you catch sight of yourself in a mirror and need another new heart."

She reached up with her hand and touched her hair. "They must've done it while I was delirious. I thought I felt lighter."

"I'm sure Bastion has a holographic hairdresser on file." Reg stated as he led her into the lab, but she resisted. "What's wrong?" he frowned.

"I'd like to keep it short for now. I know you like it long but…I've never had short hair and it seemed to suit Unity."

"You can have your hair however you want it."

…

"It sounds like you had a real adventure." Reg smiled as he lay beside her propped on his elbow on the bed he had made on the floor from mattresses and some linens he had replicated.

"You too. I'm so proud of you. Your project worked and you actually got on that platform and ended up on the Enterprise." She smiled. "Of course I'm livid that you were the test subject…"

"I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea." He looked at her and smiled. "I love your hair." She had gone for a pixie cut that looked particularly cute in Reg's opinion. "I can see your ears and your neck all the time now." He kissed her neck softly. "Just when I think I know everything about you I find out you have curly hair."

"They normally straighten it when I go for a trim, even when I was a kid. It's a Green Kolari trait. It's not that I don't like it but it makes me look really Orion. Of course, Unity's hair wasn't real."

"I hate to break it to you but you still look Kolari." Reg grinned. He'd been surprised to find out Orion's called themselves the Kolari, but not at all surprised their word for the Federation was a veiled insult.

"I know. But I've never really felt like one."

"Now we know were Andie gets her curls from, but I'm surprised she's so blonde. I suppose it's like my mother." he paused thoughtfully.

"Your Dad tells me you were his fair haired boy when you were little. Children are often lighter haired when they're small. I think she'll be brunette like you." She snuggled into his chest. "Although I expect it will be all shades of the rainbow before she's done if she turns out to be your average teenage girl."

"I thought Pip got his duckling tuft from you, but it seems you're in the clear." Reg smiled.

"It must be from your side of the family somewhere. I can't believe it just appeared spontaneously. It's adorable though, his little quiff." She smiled and toyed with the base of Reg's throat. "I have to admit," she whispered as she opened a button on his shirt, "that cufflinks and shirt tails and collar studs are a bit of a turn on. It's all," she pressed a kiss to his neck and opened another button, "so…," another button fell victim, "complicated…"

"We shouldn't do this." Reg reluctantly said softly and grasped her hand.

"Why not?" she pleaded with her eyes wide.

"Well, you've just had a major surgery and…" he reasoned.

"It'll be a shakedown cruise for my new ticker." she argued, "Tell me being here like this doesn't remind you of our first time?"

"Of course it does, although I'm a little hazy on the particulars of our first time. Particularly how we got from talking to doing the deed, did you start it?"

"I'm not sure, I remember looking into your eyes and the next thing I knew I was stark naked on my back with my ankles around your neck."

"That's pretty much how I remember it too." He smiled. "It's not that I don't want to, I'm just saying we should check with one of the doctors first." he stated firmly. She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Where are you going?"

"To find something to wear. I can't wander around in a hospital gown can I?" She walked to the clothing dispenser and ordered a uniform. She grabbed it and dropped it on the bed then stripped off the gown. "Oh holy crap!" she exclaimed as she caught sight of herself naked in the mirror. "I thought I looked a little gaunt while I was getting my hair cut, I must have lost twenty pounds or more."

"Thirty." Reg stated as he stood and embraced her gently from behind. "The Doctor said it was nearer thirty."

"No wonder you looked worried when you found me. I look like I've been in a concentration camp." she bleated as she turned and looked at her emaciated form from different angles.

"That was more about the dark green circles under your eyes and the fact your lips were grey and you were struggling to breathe." he told her. "You look a little scrawny but a few square meals and you'll soon fill out."

"No wonder you didn't want to do it. It would be like necrophilia." She pulled away and put her uniform into the recycler. "I need a smaller size." He tilted her head to look up at him and kissed her on the lips. "Give me a break. I wasn't angling for a pity fuck." She scowled and pulled away angrily.

He grasped her by the arms and turned her to face him. "You know me better than that." he said softly and pulled her closer as she began to cry. "You've been ill and I nearly lost you. I know it matters to you, my proud beauty but I'm worried about your health, not what you look like. I love you, you silly, skinny bint."

"I don't find it easy to gain weight." she whispered into his shoulder.

"We'll ask The Doctor if you can have shakes like Gala, only protein ones to build you up." He kissed her forehead. "We'll fatten you up like a Thanksgiving turkey." He looked down at her. "We should find you some clothes or you'll get cold." he whispered as she gazed up at him. With a sigh he kissed her again and she didn't resist this time, she melted against him and clutched at his back, whimpering softly as they explored each other's mouths. "Promise me you're feeling okay?" he whispered between kisses to her neck.

"I feel wonderful." she replied, matching him kiss for kiss as she unbuttoned his shirt and trousers. He lowered his hand and lifted her thigh over his hip as he lifted her and deposited her gently on the bed. He could feel the unfamiliar sensation of her pelvis digging into his hips as he lay on top of her. She was the same woman he'd held in his arms less than a day ago but she felt so different. "Are you okay?" she whispered, noticing his hesitation and stroking his face gently. He answered her with his fevered kisses. It always amazed him how varied their physical life was. Often it was playful and fun, sometimes tender and sweet and then there were times like now when it felt as though they were experiencing something beyond the physical. A blending of their souls. They writhed together, his partially clothed body pressed against her naked form, her legs crossed over his back. They exchanged kisses, whispered words of love and each other's heated breath as they expressed their love. She suddenly looked at him with a surprised expression.

"You're about to come aren't you?"

"Oh yes." he grunted earnestly.

"It's okay, I've got you." she whispered and gripped his back tighter. He could have wept. He'd never expressed to anyone how vulnerable he felt at the point of climax. He shuddered as intense pleasure ripped through his body and mind as she held him safe in her arms. He felt her body pulse against his as she hit her own peak, lost in the throes of ecstasy. They lay there for a moment, sweaty and breathless sharing soft kisses and sighs.

"Did you just read my mind?" he asked breathily.

"I'm not sure, I just knew what you were feeling. Perhaps our mating bond is getting stronger?" she gasped with a smile.

"I don't think we've ever climaxed together like that."

"We have." she whispered breathily. "Lots of times."

"Not like that, you normally get there first and I get so excited I drop my payload. This time I beat you to it and you were right behind me." He sighed and kissed her softly.

"It was certainly intense." She panted and smiled.

"I know," he smiled and rubbed noses with her, "maybe there's something to be said for necrophilia."

She giggled and then her expression changed. "Reg?" she said in a husky whisper. "I'm having… trouble catching… my breath…." she wheezed. "I don't… feel too… good."

"What?" he looked alarmed. "Uh…Okay." he reached for his combadge on the floor. "Medical Emergency, Barclay's quarters." He stood and pulled up his pants, fastening them quickly. "Okay, let's sit you up." She nodded and he lifted her, sitting behind her to support her and covered her with a bed sheet to preserve her modesty. She was still panting but she seemed to breathe easier reclining. "I won't say I told you so…" he whispered.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked as he entered. "Don't bother, I can guess." he said noticing their state of dress as he scanned her. "Hold this mask for her." he instructed and placed the device over her nose and mouth and Reg held it in place.

"Please don't tell me I've killed her with sex?" Reg pleaded. "I told her we should ask if it was okay to…" Reg said guiltily.

"I thought you weren't going to say I told you so…" she mumbled into the mask.

"Don't talk. Breathe." The Doctor said sternly as he applied a sensor to her chest. "I wouldn't have had any objections per se, mild cardio exercise isn't necessarily a bad thing…." he stopped as he looked at the telemetry from her artificial heart. Reg thought that was just as well as he felt a little wounded by the word 'mild'. "Are you feeling better?" he asked her and she nodded. "I'm afraid this is one of those unexpected complications we warned you about. Your new heart isn't interfacing correctly with your physiology, it's misreading your Orion hormones, particularly your variety of adrenalin. Your heart rate hasn't risen above your resting heart rate since we tested it in sickbay and when you exerted yourself instead of rising it actually dropped slightly. You didn't get any increased oxygenation to your cells, including your brain. Even now you're a little bradycardic."

"What does that mean? Is it failing?" Reg asked with alarm.

"She's in no danger, it's beating strong and steady and it won't fall too low or stop as part of its design but she's going to have attacks like this when she exerts herself until we find a solution."

"What about my extra adrenal glands?" she asked through the mask. "It would recognise that adrenalin surely?"

"We have no idea what effect stimulating those glands will do to you, besides turning you into a glow worm. I believe the best option is to leave things as they are and genitronically replicate you a new heart in addition to a hedroxal gland when we return to the 24th century. Until then you'll have to take things easy," he told her, "and you need to keep it in your pants and not over-excite her." he told Reg. "I don't care how fetching she looks with her new haircut." He paused. "I never noticed before, but you remind me a little of Kes."

"You must miss her?" Taryn whispered, breathing normally now but still using the mask.

"It was never going to be a long friendship, even if she hadn't evolved to a higher level. Okampa only live nine years." He paused again. "Have you two discussed your expected life-spans?"

"We're planning a suicide pact when I turn ninety." Taryn joked and reached back to stroke Reg's head over her shoulder.

"It'll be a murder suicide long before then if you don't behave yourself." Reg warned and kissed her ear. "We're looking forward to growing old together and if she keeps scaring me the way she is she'll drive me to an early grave anyway." he looked earnestly at The Doctor. "I've never had anyone nearly die on me while making love." He kissed her forehead tenderly, "Fall asleep on me yes, but never die."

"You'll never let me forget that will you?" Taryn snapped and The Doctor touched her arm to warn her to calm down, "I was pregnant, tired and you came home at three in the morning after being out on the lash on your Dad's stag night and had a tequila boner till dawn." she argued with less venom.

Reg smirked at the memory, they had discovered the common factor in the priapisms he'd occasionally get when drinking was tequila. By contrast everything else seemed to give him the droop. "Is she really going to be okay?" he asked The Doctor earnestly.

"We still have to see how she tolerates the hormone and coagulant therapy but the auspices are good so far. We need to keep a close eye on her."

Reg nodded. "We're both concerned about how much weight she lost."

"It's not uncommon with scarlet and rheumatic fever to lose weight and it's hit her hard. We need to build your strength up gradually and I don't want you to exercise yet, although some gentle and I mean very gentle yoga may be helpful. I'll prescribe some protein supplements."

"Smoothies?" Taryn asked.

"If you like. You can stop using the oxygen mask now." he told them. "I'll leave it with you. If you feel breathless or lightheaded use it and if you don't feel any better after a few minutes call for assistance. Now, we need you to call in to Sickbay three times a day for your therapy but as I'm here I'll do it now." He checked her levels with a small device and then set up the dosage and gave her three hyposprays. "Eventually you'll be able to do this yourself but for now I want to keep track of your levels." She nodded. "I need to see you again at 0800 tomorrow for your next therapy."

"So it's three shots three times a day?" Reg asked.

"No, it will be more as her gland continues to fail." The Doctor said apologetically as he put away his equipment. "Potentially it may be six shots or more with each treatment and other complications may arise. Incidentally have you had any unusual symptoms you think I should know about?"

"She read my mind." Reg stated and The Doctor looked intrigued.

"Not exactly. It's embarrassing, I wish you hadn't said anything." she scowled.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, when I was about to…" Reg trailed off shyly.

"You mean when you reached the point of inevitability." The Doctor stated.

"I felt it, and I knew how he felt about it, and… Well I didn't orgasm but I sort of hijacked his." she admitted.

"You didn't tell me that." Reg frowned. "Oh, bang goes my perfect GPA." he added moodily.

"Perfect?" The Doctor frowned. "You mean you always…" he asked Taryn and she nodded brightly. The Doctor seemed impressed.

"Only with him." she stated. "Only ever with him actually. He turned me from an uptight frigid bitch into a raving multi-orgasmic nympho." She smirked at Reg over her shoulder at the sight of him blushing.

"Stop it." he said shyly and hid behind her shoulder.

"It's true, you should be proud." Taryn told him.

"Well, putting aside Reg's prowess as a lover as a possible cause your hedroxal gland can affect the balance of your neural chemistry. I'd like to run a full neurological series but it can wait until the morning."

"Could it be…" she began and chewed her lip.

"What? Anything could be important." The Doctor stated.

"I've spent the last six months trying really hard to…It's hard to verbalise but…I tried to think to you, to get a message to you that we were alive and stranded." She looked at Reg over her shoulder. "Could I have been, I don't know, exercising? I'm not explaining this very well but I've never tried so hard to send a telepathic message before."

"And you believe that you've somehow awoken your mating bond? I honestly don't know, but I'll see you in the morning and we'll try to find some answers."

"Thank you." Taryn said grasping his arm briefly as he stood.

"You'd really have gone through all this…all the shots and everything if the mating bond didn't make me immune to your pheromones, just to be with me?" Reg asked softly once they were alone.

"Yes." she replied without hesitation. "But it's the last thing I want for Gala."

Reg rested his head against hers and sighed deeply. There had to be a way to help her, here and now rather than waiting for the Orb to decide their business was concluded. "I'll get us some food from the mess room and I need to have a word with Dan but I won't be long."

"Okay, I'll just sort out some clothes. Maybe go for a shower." she replied.

"I don't want you wandering around the ship. I'll come with you to the shower room after we've eaten."

"Okay." she whispered reluctantly.

"I'm not trying to rob you of your independence, I just want to be certain you're okay while we find what your limits are." he explained.

"That seems like a good idea." She forced a smile as he kissed her cheek and stood up.

"Do you fancy anything in particular to eat?" he asked.

"Nothing too heavy, maybe some broth or beef tea? I haven't eaten in a long while, I don't know how my stomach will be."

"Chicken soup?" he suggested as he buttoned his shirt and tucked it in.

"Yes, that would be perfect, thank you." She smiled sincerely this time and kissed him back as he bent over to kiss her before he left.

Reg tapped his communicator as soon as the door closed behind him. "Barclay to Ensign Ashby."

" _Go ahead Reg_."

"Can you meet me in the mess room?" he asked as he strode along the corridor. "Bring Barsha and David too if they're available. I have a job for you."

" _Sure. What do you have in mind?_ "

"I was just wondering, how hard do you think it would be to build a genitronic replicator?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Oh God no." Reg exclaimed as he returned to their quarters. She wasn't there. He put down the bowls, spoons and a flask of soup he was carrying and dashed back out into the corridor to see her emerge from a shower room wearing a kaftan at the end of the corridor with her mask in her hand. He ran to meet her. "I thought you were going to wait for me to have a shower?" he snapped.

"I needed to pee anyway and it took a lot out of me to get here. I didn't think I could do the walk again. I remembered my o2." she told him as they walked together slowly.

"It's further than we are from sickbay." he said apologetically. "If it's too much tell me and I'll ask to swap quarters." He stopped with her as she paused to use the mask. "Hold on." he said and picked her up, carrying her the rest of the way as she gasped into the mask. He deposited her on the bed and knelt beside her looking concerned. "Shall I call The Doctor?"

She shook her head, "It's passing. I'm fine." She smiled at him, her breathing more relaxed but still holding the mask to her face.

He rubbed his face distractedly and she rubbed his upper arm. "I'm worried sick about you." he admitted and she pulled him into her arms. "This…well he was a temporal agent from the future apparently. He talked about my destiny and the kids but he said you…" his breath hitched, "and he said I was going to have another child and…" he sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm not, not without you. I'm just not." he held her tight.

She dropped the mask and turned his face to look at her, wiping his tears away with her finger tenderly. "Fuck him. He doesn't make the rules for us. I'm not planning on turning my toes up any time soon but if the worst happens… It kills me to think of you with anyone else but I don't want you to be alone. If you find someone who makes you happy and loves our children then it's okay, more than okay. The last thing I'd want is for you to feel guilty or bad about it."

"No, it'll never be okay with me." he whispered. "Although if I go first and you meet someone… I wouldn't want you to be alone, you deserve to be loved."

"Honestly, I can't imagine loving anyone but you either." She pressed her forehead to his.

He sighed and kissed her forehead. "Let's have some soup."

After they'd eaten he lay beside her as she curled up and drifted off to sleep, stroking her hair. He let his hand fall to her neck and gently felt her pulse.

"It's not going to stop." she whispered. "This heart is beating like a train in my chest, even if it's a slow train. The worst that can happen is I'll pass out if I overdo it and God knows we've been there before."

"I worried that you wouldn't love me anymore if they took out your heart." he whispered. "And then you tried to molest me as soon as you came round and assuaged me of that idea." He smiled and kissed her neck.

"I'd love you if I was a brain in a jar." she said sleepily, "I'd love you if you were a brain in a jar but I'd miss your fluffy chest."

"I'd miss your boobs." he told her, "and your behind."

"I'd miss your behind too." she mumbled and nestled against him. "I'm very fond of your thighs as well. But I'd still love you, just the same." She yawned.

"You wouldn't miss Commodore Barclay?" he asked softly with a frown.

"He has his moments I suppose." She giggled.

"Don't remind me." Reg winced. He hated the thought that he'd failed to satisfy her.

"It wasn't your fault. I don't think my heart rate or lack of it helped. And it's not like the ship didn't move anyway. As your Professor I won't mark you down, your GPA is intact." She caressed his arm that draped over her. "Why didn't you tell me you felt like that?"

"Like what?" he frowned, "Oh you mean… Well I've always felt sort of…" he struggled to find the words to describe the complex emotion he felt at the point of climax.

"Naked, exposed, vulnerable, helpless and defenceless?" Taryn suggested.

"Yes, well, whenever I'm with someone anyway." he explained.

"Do holograms make you feel that way?" she asked.

He paused, now that was a loaded question. If he said they did it implied making love to her was no different to sex on the holodeck and if he said they didn't it implied he didn't suspend disbelief with his photonic playmates and knew they weren't real deep down. In fact, the truth fell somewhere in between on a sliding scale. "Do I have to answer that?" he frowned.

"No, I was just interested, it's not important." she replied with another yawn.

"It's not like I don't enjoy it you know, I just feel like I'm giving all of myself." he whispered. "Especially with you. I feel like I'm giving you my soul."

"That's nice." she mumbled as she drifted back to sleep.

…

"We're going to be here a while, she'll be fine if you need to go and do something else Reg." The Doctor told him the next morning in Sickbay.

"I can stay." he replied as he rubbed her back gently.

"Go and play, I'll feel bad with you loitering about looking bored." she told him.

"You'll call me when you're done?" he asked and she nodded. He kissed her softly and headed for Main Engineering.

His 'gang' were gathered in a quiet corner pouring through schematics when he arrived.

"Hey Boss." Dan said brightly. "How is she?"

"She seems quite bright this morning but she's weak and tired." he stated as he drew up a seat and joined them, "Any luck?"

"Maybe." David stated distractedly as he read a padd. "The build isn't so much the issue as finding alternative components. Some are from other systems or don't exist in this century and are unreplicateable."

"Like what?" Reg asked.

"Aldebaran quartz for starters." David replied.

"Well, what quality is it being used for? It's refractive qualities? It's hardness? It's lack of reactivity?" Reg asked.

"It's used as a focusing lens." David stated.

"So it's a refractive lens, natural diamonds are pretty close on the refractive index." Reg replied.

"Pretty close won't cut it." Dan advised him. "Not if you want a viable, genetically compatible organ."

"We could make a crystal with the same qualities artificially." Barsha suggested.

"How?" Dan asked.

"Orion traders have been forging gems for centuries, some of them fool even the most expert jewellers and geologists." she reasoned. "I know a few techniques we could try."

"I'm hoping the Orb of Time will send us back before this becomes crucial." Reg stated. "I don't want you to feel you've wasted your time if we don't need it." he picked up a padd and looked at it.

"We won't feel that way." Dan stated. "This is for Taryn, if we don't need it for positive reasons then good. Not that there will be any negative reasons before you start fretting Reg."

Reg knew it was already too late for that, he'd started fretting the moment he saw her dying in Guinan's orangery and knew it wouldn't stop until she was healthy again.

…

"I've been looking for you everywhere Shrimp." Geoff stated before he registered she was sitting on the floor in the corridor against the wall. "Christ!" he exclaimed and ran to her, still dressed as a Victorian gentleman. "You look rough mate. I'll get you to Sickbay."

"No I was just there. I was trying to get to Engineering." she told him holding the mask to her face. "I'm okay, I just need to catch my breath."

"Catch your breath? You look like death warmed over." he said as he lifted her up.

"Reg is in Engineering, you can ask him. I don't have to go to Sickbay." she protested weakly.

"I'm blaming you if he kicks off." Geoff stated as he carried her.

"Why were you looking for me?" she asked, clearly feeling better and not needing the mask anymore.

"We were wondering if you had any ideas how we could locate Data and the Matthews'."

"Put a personal ad in the Times." she suggested. "It's what Sherlock Holmes would do. I expect he's reading it daily."

"Why didn't I think of that?" he smiled at his sister.

"I don't know. You're the Temporal Agent." She smirked. "Not a surprise by the way."

"How long have you known?" he asked her with a grin.

"Ages. No way were you recruited as an aide with your training and skillset." she told him. "I did wonder if you were Section 31 for a while."

"No way would I work for those pricks. They're a law unto themselves and a menace. There's no place in Starfleet for officers who are above the law. Besides, Dad would kick my arse if I joined them and rightly so. I'm fairly sure he's always known what I do, and Emlyn of course. No one keeps secrets from him."

"Maya hasn't worked it out?" Taryn asked.

"If she has she knows better than to ask." he replied as he entered Main Engineering. "Have you lost something?" he asked Reg as he turned around in alarm.

"You said you'd call me." Reg said as he grabbed a seat and Geoff deposited her on it.

"I found her in a heap in the corridor." Geoff told him.

"Don't exaggerate. I was just having a rest." she argued.

"A rest is exactly what you should be having. In our quarters." Reg chided.

"I'm not going to hide away and shrivel up in the dark like a cut flower. My hands and brain still work, there's no reason why I can't be useful." she snapped indignantly. "What are you up to? I want to help."

"Well, I wasn't going to tell you until we had more of an idea if it's feasible." Reg said guiltily with his team gathered behind him with expressions to match his. "I had a thought that maybe we could build a genitronic replicator. We're sort of redundant here until they need us for something so we have time on our hands."

She looked touched and grasped his hand. "That's very sweet of you. All of you." she told them.

"We're not sure it'll work though." Dan stated. "We have a lot of hurdles to jump."

"Let's get some lunch and I'll bring you up to speed." Reg stated. "I'm sure you'll come up with some new ideas."

"Okay." She smiled up at him.

" _Mother?"_ Bastion asked. " _Sorry to interrupt._ "

"You aren't interrupting Bastion, how can I help you?" Taryn replied.

" _I was thinking more about how I can help you._ " A large object materialised in the middle of the room with a large red bow tied on it. " _I hope you aren't insulted but I noticed how difficult you have found getting around._ "

"Oh Bastion, I'm not insulted. It's very thoughtful of you." She smiled as she stood and admired the anti-grav chair. "You even put the controls on the left side for me." she remarked as she pulled off the bow and sat down. "I love it. Thank you."

"Thank you from me too." Reg said. "I won't worry so much about her roaming around. It has built in o2." he noted, showing her the mask.

" _I endeavoured to find a model suited to your particular needs._ "

"It's wonderful Bastion." She flashed Reg an impish smile. "Race you to the Mess Room?" She shot away giggling at top speed.

" _Perhaps with hindsight I should have limited the velocity?_ " Bastion commented.

"She'd only have modified it." Reg sighed.

" _Perhaps I could fabricate you a bicycle Reg, or some roller skates?_ "

"I'll bear it in mind." Reg replied with a smirk and followed her.

"She looks bad." David stated after he left.

"Now I know why The Doctor seemed so thoughtful last night." Barsha stated. "He thinks we're going to lose her."

"You need to make this thing work." Geoff told them. "I'm not letting my sister die. Not from some stupid infection that's been extinct for centuries."

"We know." Dan replied sympathetically. "We won't let her down."

…

"The only thing The Doctor found was increased activity in an area of my brain that was dormant on my previous neural scans. But he doesn't know why." She paused as she ate a mouthful of noodles. "He speculated that it could have been caused by the scarlet fever."

"Does he think it will be a problem?" Reg looked concerned as he pushed his salad around his plate.

"No, he didn't seem worried." she replied. "My hormone levels were nothing unexpected either so that's so far so good. But he changed my coagulant. I have a mysterious bruise. Look?" she pulled up the sleeve of the top she was wearing and showed him a deep bruise above her elbow on the back of her arm. "He treated it but it came straight back up."

"How did you do that?" he asked looking alarmed.

"I don't recall doing it at all." she pulled her sleeve back down and continued eating.

"It wasn't me was it? While we were…"

"Perhaps, but you weren't at all rough with me." She smiled at him and grasped his hand across the table. "He said it's nothing unexpected or to worry about. It's normal to make a few tweaks to the protocol in the early stages of hedroxal failure." she assured him.

"Taryn…" he said as he moved his thumb and saw a growing bruise on the back of her hand. "W…we need to get you to Sickbay…"

…

"On the broader scale of things this complication is minor Reg." The Doctor assured him. "You spotted it quickly and she's responding well to an alternative coagulant therapy."

"I barely touched her and she started to haemorrhage Doctor. What if she'd had a fall or….?" Reg ranted as he paced, ringing his hands.

"She didn't." Dr Bashir stated. "Would you feel better if she stayed here in Sickbay? You could spend as much time with her as you wish…"

"No, she'll hate it. She needs to keep busy. We're working on building a genitronic replicator and she has some great ideas."

"I'd be more than happy to assist with that endeavour." The Doctor told him.

"As would I." Dr Bashir added. "But as far as your wife's care goes we're monitoring her carefully and you're being vigilant. While her prognosis is uncertain due to her physiology we have plenty of options available to manage her condition. It's just a matter of keeping things on an even keel."

"This is it isn't it? What Andrews talked about?" Reg rubbed the back of his neck as he continued to pace. "We're going to lose her. She's so weak and frail…"

"Reg, she's not giving up and neither are we." The Doctor assured him. "Worst case scenario. Her motor neurons start to degrade and we put her in stasis."

"Stasis? That's a viable option?" Reg stopped pacing and rubbed his face.

"It's always an option in these circumstances." Dr Bashir confirmed. "She could remain in stasis until our business here is concluded to the satisfaction of the Orb and we can replace her damaged organs when we return."

"But that's not going to be necessary, because we're optimistic aren't we?" Taryn said from the doorway with Six beside her.

"Are you okay? Why aren't you in your chair? Is it alright to hug her?" he asked Six.

"Yes I'm okay. I'm not going to use the chair all the time, I don't want to get weaker and it had better be alright because here I come." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tight with him tentatively touching her back. "I'm not going to break you prat." she assured him and he held her tighter. "I'm not going anywhere." She cupped his cheek in her hand and gazed into his eyes. "I need to get better so we can start work on that baby."

"Okay." Reg smiled and took her hand, tenderly kissing her wrist.

"You've reconsidered fertility treatment?" The Doctor asked and Reg nodded. "In that case we need to get this genitronic replicator built." The Doctor smiled.

"The Doctor and Julian would like to help." Reg told her.

"Hey, don't forget me?" Six added with a smile.

" _I also have some ideas. I believe Barsha's suggestion of forging the crystals holds merit and I hold the latest research in sub-atomic resequencing in my memory. It may be possible to alter materials to make them closer to those we require."_ Bastion stated.

Taryn smiled shyly. "I don't know what to say…" she whispered and Reg kissed her temple. "I'm…I think I should have a nap maybe…" she told him.

"It's a side effect of the new coagulant I'm afraid. It can cause extreme fatigue." The Doctor explained.

"Better that than bleeding everywhere." Taryn said brightly and whistled. "J'hordak, heel." she ordered and her chair followed her obediently as she walked into the corridor holding hands with Reg. "I installed a program upgrade while I was waiting for the coagulant to work. He'll never be able to command a starship or even pilot one but he can follow me around and be there when I need to sit down."

"J'hordak, that means shadow in Orion right?" Reg smiled. "Heel?" he nodded. "You aren't a cat lover or a horse lover…your sentient hologram is a wolf? Dear God, I married a dog person didn't I?"

"I told you, I love all animals…but I do like dogs." she admitted.

Reg snorted. "I suppose I'm like that too. I love all animals but I do like cats."

"Does that make us bi-bestial?" she asked with a sneer.

"Probably," he laughed. "Gala would love a puppy."

"Gala would love her own zoo." Taryn stated. "She asked for a pet snake the other day."

"I hope you said no." Reg responded. "You did say no?"

"I said we'd discuss it." Taryn explained. "That way we're a united front and no one has to be the villain of the piece."

"That's good." he agreed. "I don't want a snake in the house."

"I gathered that from your reaction. So we discussed it and the answer is no. She'll have to make do with her hamster, the tribbles, the goldfish, two degus and three guinea pigs."

"Is she still doing all the looking after herself?" Reg asked.

"Yes, I've been checking up on her. They all get fed and petted and cleaned out regularly. She doesn't feed the tribbles or pet the fish obviously."

"She's going to be a vet, I can see it coming." Reg smirked.

"That or an animal hoarder." Taryn added. "J'hordak?" she called and sat down.

"You're learning to pace yourself better." Reg said when she refused her oxygen mask.

"I want to keep as active as I can. I hate being so feeble." She frowned as they resumed the journey to their quarters.

…

She was still snuggled against him when he woke, held in his arms and sleeping sweetly. They had made great progress the day before after her nap. Everyone made valuable contributions and he was beginning to think their latest project may actually work. The door chimed and it woke her.

"Who's that?" she murmured.

"Someone must have heard how sexy you look in my pyjama top." he kissed her temple softly and sat up. "Who is it?"

"It's Julian."

Reg peered under the covers to check he was still wearing pyjama pants. "We're relatively decent. Come in." Reg replied and scratched his bare chest as Taryn sat up sleepily beside him and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"I've had something on my mind that I…need to get off my chest." Julian stated as he entered the room. He smiled. "Ezri and I, we used to sleep on the floor of the Defiant like that." he noted. "We sometimes share my pyjamas too."

"Have a seat, please?" Taryn offered.

"I…Seven years ago I was approached by a man named Luther Sloan who wanted to recruit me as an operative for Section 31. I refused but I discovered they aren't an organisation that handles rejection well. A year later I was embroiled in and misled in a plot to discredit a Romulan Senator so a seat she was in line for on the Continuing Committee went to a Federation spy instead." He swallowed guiltily. "After that Chief O'Brien and I discovered Section 31 had infected Odo in order to spread a virus to the Founders. We tricked Sloan into visiting Deep Space 9, knowing they would have developed a cure. To cut a long story short Sloan activated a suicide device in his brain but we interfaced with him and found the cure in his mind before he died." He paused as Taryn and Reg exchanged glances. "I know that given your history with Section 31 my association with them may be a problem. I know I should have disclosed this sooner…"

"Are you working for them now?" Taryn asked.

He shook his head. "They haven't contacted me since Sloan died."

"Julian, I worked for Section 31 for three years, although I didn't know it at the time. I'm in no position to be judgemental." Taryn admitted.

"If my mother had got her way I could have ended up working for them too." Reg added. "This isn't a problem, clearly your heart wasn't in it."

"It wasn't. I have to admit the intrigue was alluring. I've always been a fan of spy thrillers but it was hardly compatible with the Hippocratic oath." He exhaled deeply.

"Feel better now?" Taryn asked with a smile.

"Yes, much." Julian smiled. "Although I have another confession to make to The Doctor."

"You mean..?" Reg began and Julian nodded. "He'll be okay about it." Reg assured him.

"Thank you, both of you. I'll see you later." He smiled as he stood up and headed for the door.

"What's that about?" Taryn asked Reg and stroked his back.

"Julian was the original candidate for the EMH Mark 1 template." Reg explained and she emitted a low chuckle in response. "It came out he was an augment and got really messy politically so Dr Z used his own image."

"So you met Julian before?" Taryn asked.

"No, I was back at the lab recoding the medical database while Dr Z went on his jaunt to Deep Space 9. He came back a wreck. Got his heart broken." Reg recalled and scratched his ear.

"Really?"

"Leeta a Dabo girl who worked for Quark. A proper Dabo girl not a Dabo girl like Leosa was a Dabo girl I should add. She's currently the wife of the Ferengi Grand Nagus, but before that Dr Z was smitten with her and had her lined up to run the canteen at Jupiter station. Before that Julian dated her."

"Oh my God, it's like a soap opera." Taryn laughed. "What was she like?"

Reg looked at her and smirked. "I never met her, but did you wonder why the latest EMH has Bajoran nose ridges?"

"Oh my… Poor Julian." she said with her hand over her mouth.

"From what he told me while I was waiting for you to wake up after surgery they had an amicable split. They even went on holiday together to celebrate their parting or something. It was a bit of a shock though. I thought he was going to drop your new heart when he first saw Six. Do Orions do that sort of thing? Celebrate the end of a relationship?"

"If they haven't stabbed each other it's usually quite civilised." she replied. "I've never heard of anyone spending the scrilla on an awaybreak with an ex though. Orions are too tight with money for that."

"You seem upbeat this morning. Did you sleep well?" He put his arm around her.

"I did. I'm really hungry though."

"You must be getting your appetite back." he smiled and kissed her.

"I never lost my appetite for you." she whispered and gently touched his jaw as she returned his chaste kiss hungrily.

"We're grounded remember? Doctor's orders." he whispered as she kissed his neck. She waved her portable oxygen mask in front of his face. "Oh okay. I won't tell if you won't." he replied brightly and took her in his arms.

…

"Are you okay?" she sniggered.

Reg inhaled deeply from her oxygen mask and nodded with a smirk. "It was a little kinky with this mask on your face." he said with his voice muffled.

"It worked though. I didn't pass out on you." she rubbed his chest and kissed his shoulder tenderly. "You won't get high on that no matter how much you fiddle with the settings." she advised him. "It's lack of oxygen that gets you high."

"So if I turn this right down…Ow!" he yelped as she pulled the mask and let it hit him in the face.

"That's a dangerous game and nothing to joke about. Edara's older sister died in an stranglewank accident."

"Seriously?" he asked as he took off the mask and returned the settings to the ones The Doctor prescribed. "I don't know what's worse, that your great-aunt died or the phrase 'stranglewank accident'."

"We need to get up." she said as she sat up and checked the chronometer. "Care to join me in the shower?"

"Join you or…join you?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I was just planning to wash. I'm not sure I can manage it standing up." she replied and stroked his face as he sat up beside her.

"Okay, either way I get to see you naked." he smirked.

"That's hardly a treat at the moment, I'm so scrawny." she frowned.

"You're beautiful." he kissed her softly. "I wouldn't take just anyone to bed, shower with them then take them out to breakfast." He frowned as she started to cry. "What's the matter?"

"I miss the kids." she sniffed. "I lost my milk ages ago, that was bad enough…"

"Hey, we talked about weaning the twins now they're teething and starting solids anyway. You have quarts of milk stored up and artificial feeds won't hurt them." he pulled her into his arms. "You need to be brave and remember that it may have been months for you but it hasn't been that long for them. Gala will be busy with her menagerie and they all adore their grandparents. They'll be having a great time." She nodded and forced a smile as he cupped her cheek. "I miss them too and it's only been a couple of days. I can't imagine how hard this has been for you. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault..." he choked up and turned away.

"I'm the one who ran in like Flynn to save the day and…it never occurred to anyone the wormholes could intersect. All the experts reviewed your proposal." She grasped his shoulder and turned him back to face her. "This is no one's fault Reg, least of all yours."

"I thought at first that you got blown into space." he sobbed and pulled her close. "I thought I killed you."

"Oh sweetie." she whispered and cradled his head against her shoulder. "All this time I've been apart from you I never blamed you for a second. None of us did."

…

"So she's going to be alright?" Guinan asked earnestly.

"She's still pretty sick but she's tough." Geordi assured her. "She's getting the best possible care. You can beam up and see her if you like?"

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to meet too many people who know me that I haven't met yet. It's too disturbing, but send her my love." she stated and accepted a cup of tea from the Countess. "I still can't get over the fact you're her brothers."

"Only Emlyn is her full brother, her twin in fact." Geoffrey stated indicating the Vulcan looking young man beside him.

"There's another brother on the Bastion and one more back in the 23rd century with our two little sisters." Haydn stated.

" _We all share a common father but three different biological mothers._ " Emlyn said at the same moment as drinking his tea. Something that unnerved Geordi for some reason.

"She said she was from a big family. I had no idea it was such a handsome one." Guinan smiled. "Any word from Data yet?"

"No, James has gone to place another advertisement in case he missed it for some reason." the Countess explained.

"The important thing we need to remember is if we can't find him nor can the Jem'Hadar." Geoff reminded them. "They're conspicuous by their absence in orbit too, aside from when we arrived and nearly collided with them."

"Any idea of their overall plan?" Guinan asked. "We were too busy dealing with each crisis as it came along to get to the bottom of it."

"As far as we can tell they're staking out certain areas of London, we assume they're looking for Data and the Matthews. Other than that." Geoff shook his head.

"Can I have a word Prior?" Andrews said as he materialised in the room.

"Finally." Geoff stated. "It's about time you turned up. Care to enlighten us as to what all this is about?"

"That's rich with you all sat here drinking tea… What the hell is she doing here?" he pointed to Guinan. "You're fraternising with a civilian from this century? No wonder they shut down the Office of Temporal Investigations if this is how you all behave."

"I don't know who you are but show some respect." Geordi told the agent in no uncertain terms. "We'd have lost the Matthews ten times over if it weren't for Guinan."

"They aren't the only targets. They got frustrated and selected more." Andrews stated.

"Do you have names?" Geoff asked.

"No, but the Jem'Hadar on the surface are trying to acquire the new targets. The good news is we have until nightfall to prevent the attacks." Andrews stated.

"Excuse me, I need to…use the…crapper." Haydn stated and headed for the bathroom.

"Water closet." the Countess reminded him. He looked back at her and smiled and bumped into Andrews.

"Watch it pal." Andrews glared.

"Sorry mate." Haydn said and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Idiot." Andrews muttered under his breath. "I've got to go, I'll be back when I have more to say." Andrews vanished.

The Countess rose as there was a knock at the door. A boy in a uniform handed her a note.

"It's a telegram for James." she opened it. "'Professor, The chase is afoot stop 51°15'12.45"N 0°46'48.00"W stop How are Watson the Madame and the Lady Verte? stop' from an SH." she handed it to Geordi.

"Sherlock Holmes." Geordi chuckled.

Geoff touched his communicator with a smile. "Bastion, can you check the following coordinates for a beam in. My guess it's somewhere in Hampshire."

…

"Well, what do you think?" Haydn asked Reg in a quiet corner of the mess room.

"I think you're in serious trouble," Reg said as he turned the elliptical device over in his hands, "but I have no idea what it is. It looks like a tricorder of some sort, but the scanners are all wrong." he frowned as he scanned the device with his tricorder. "It has holographic outputs similar to The Doctor's mobile emitter. Any ideas Bastion?"

" _It matches the description of a Temporal Observatory reported by Captain Archer of the Enterprise NX-01._ " Bastion replied.

They both gasped as Reg activated it and they found themselves in a swirling holographic universe of timelines and events. "Wow." Haydn exclaimed as he looked around.

Taryn appeared through the image and joined them. "Holy shit Haydn. What did you steal this time?" she said as she looked around in amazement. "Nick Fury's Toolbox?"

"Looks like it. I bumped into a 31st century Temporal Agent and this fell out of his pocket." Haydn grinned.

"Fell?" she asked sternly.

"I may have helped it a little." he admitted.

"The question is what do we do with it?" Reg asked.

"Well, I'll leave it in your capable hands, I'm supposed to be planetside." Haydn told them.

…

Geordi hugged Data like a long lost brother within seconds of them materialising. "It's good to see you Data." Geordi grinned.

"It is good to see you too, and you Commander Prior." Data smiled. "It had occurred to me the personal ad might be a rouse by the Jem'Hadar, but I doubted they would grasp the nuance of your Holmesian reference in anagrammatical form."

"It took the Professor quite a while to come up with it. He'll be glad you appreciated it. Where's the happy couple?" Geordi asked.

"We have rented a house in the next town. There will be an omnibus we can catch in seven minutes."

"My Dad used to bring us to see this statue." Geoff mused as he looked up. "It wasn't in this good nick though. Did you know it was made from the melted bronze of French cannons captured at Waterloo? I thought it was still at Marble Arch at this point?"

"It was relocated and given to Aldershot in 1885." Data advised him. "It is a statue of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington seated on his horse…" Data explained to Geordi.

"Copenhagen." Geoffrey replied as he admired the statue. "But they didn't know what Copenhagen looked like because he died before they made the statue. They modelled him on another stuffed horse and a lot of the old Waterloo veterans said it looked nothing like him." Geoffrey stated as they walked towards the road. "There's a horse graveyard for famous army horses around here too isn't there?"

"Okay, timeout on the history society guys." Geordi stated. "And thanks for telling me it was the Duke of Wellington Data, because the word 'Wellington' in huge letters on the side of the plinth wasn't enough of a clue." He said acidly. "And to think I thought it was a horse graveyard for famous army cats Geoff."

"Alright, keep your wig on La Forge." Geoff replied.

"I just want to make sure the Matthews are okay." Geordi stated. "Besides, the statues alright but I prefer the Cochrane Memorial."

"It's not your fault Taryn got sick." Geoff reminded him, interpreting his short temper for something on his mind. "She's going to be fine."

"What has happened?" Data asked looking concerned.

"She caught scarlet fever and now she has an artificial heart and hedroxal failure." Geordi stated. "I should have realised we wouldn't have antibodies and kept her away from sick kids."

"Geordi, it would not have occurred to me either." Data stated. "What is her prognosis?"

"The Doctor, Six and Dr Bashir are relatively optimistic that they can manage her condition until we return to our own time where more treatment options are available. In the meantime, the Barclay dream team are trying to build a genitronic replicator."

"Relatively optimistic?" Data queried with a frown.

"She's dying Data. We all know it but no one wants to admit it." Geordi said softly.

Geoff's lip twitched as Data looked to him. "She doesn't look good." he confirmed. "But no one is giving up on her and that's an order." He said as they climbed onto the bus.

"There are a lot of soldiers on board." Geordi whispered.

"This is a Garrison town Geordi." Data explained.

"Aldershot is the Home of the British Army." Geoff added.

"I reasoned there would be an advantage to staying in the vicinity of a large number of armed men." Data stated.

"But you're staying in Farnborough, are they flying there yet?" Geoff mouthed having realised the direction they were heading in.

"Flying?" Geordi asked with interest.

"Not yet." Data apologized as they stepped off the bus. "The Army School of Ballooning is still in Aldershot and won't establish the Balloon factory in Farnborough until 1904. Samuel Cody will work there with man lifting kites and will ultimately build, test and fly his heavier than air aircraft on the common in 1908. The first manned, powered flight in Britain."

"Yeah, but the Wright Brother's beat him to it." Geordi argued. "And correct me if I'm wrong but Cody was American, his brother was Buffalo Bill."

"That doesn't make it less of a big deal." Geoff disputed. "Cody is probably on tour with his Wild West show right now and has no idea of his destiny."

"Data, what if the Jem'Hadar stop it happening because you led them here?" Geordi asked.

"It doesn't exactly work like that." Geoff stated. "Certain events have to happen and can't be stopped. We call them Universal Constants." he explained. "If Cody doesn't fly, someone else will."

"So how come the Borg stopped First Contact?" Geordi argued.

"Theoretically, they colonized Earth, the attack on the silo at Bozeman could merely have been an attempt to prevent interference from the Vulcans." Data reasoned. "We assume the flight didn't go ahead but we do not know that for certain. Regardless of what the Borg Queen may have claimed."

"Exactly, that's what we believe at the office. The way to change the course of history is in little ways that seem of no consequence at the time historically."

"Like the death of a cheesemonger and his wife." Geordi stated.

"It's like going half a degree off course and ending up thousands of light years from where you're supposed to be." Geoff told them. "And if Andrews is right there are other targets at risk after dark tonight. Once the Matthews are safe at the Langham Hotel our next priority is to track down the Jem'Hadar."

"So do you know what impact their deaths will have?" Data asked.

"No but Andrews will. I expect he'll have a Temporal Observatory."

"Andrews?" Data asked.

"A 31st century temporal agent. He's supposed to be helping us but he's conspicuous by his absence as usual. He's a grade A prick." Geoff muttered darkly, then reacted as his pocket watch chimed.

"It is not on the hour?" Data frowned.

"No it's a signal from Bastion to call in." he turned over his lapel and tapped his communicator. "Prior to Bastion."

" _The Jem'Hadar ship is returning in attack posture, they will be in range in forty-five seconds. Do you wish to return to the ship before we raise shields?_ "

"Standby Bastion. Geordi, you have a communicator right? You two fetch our Cheesemongers and I'll return to the ship. Call the Professor if you need back up. Bastion, one to beam up." he said and dematerialised.

"How far are we from your place Data?" Geordi asked then turned to see his friend sprinting down the street with his coat tails flying behind him.

"I'm getting too old for this shit." Geordi protested and ran after him.

 _Author's Note:_

 _Nick Fury's Toolbox is a reference to Marvel's Agents of Shield and obviously Geordi quotes Lethal Weapon. I don't own either of these franchises._

 _Incidentally, the coordinates are correct if you want to see the statue on google Earth. I actually grew up in Farnborough and I know it well._


	7. Chapter 7

_Note_

 _An extra chapter this week, as I may not get a chance to post over the weekend, but I will try. We had a bereavement in the family recently and it's the funeral early next week._

 _Are Data and Geordi about to meet their Waterloo?_

 **Chapter 7**

Barnard stood up from the Command Chair as Geoffrey entered and took his seat. "Report?" he said as he loosened his tie and removed his collar stud.

"They're in range but they haven't fired yet sir. We have targets locked." Barnard said as he stepped behind tactical.

"Fire phasers at will." Geoff ordered. "Why haven't they attacked?"

"I'm seeing some kind of chronoton reading from their ship but… I don't know what it is?" David advised.

"Direct hit, enemy shields at 90%" Barnard reported.

Geoff stood behind his cousin. "It's a new one on me." he shook his head. "Send the data to Taryn, see what she thinks. Bridge to Ashby and Barclay, please return to your stations."

"Aye sir." David acknowledged.

"Another direct hit, their shields are now at 82%" Mike intoned.

"Why aren't they fighting back?" Geoff asked.

 _"_ _Geoff, that reading is like nothing I've ever seen._ " Taryn replied over the com. " _I'm on my way. I'd like to try something._ "

Reg and Dan entered the bridge and sat at the engineering and science stations respectively. "Any ideas gentlemen?" Geoff asked. "Bastion? Anyone?"

"Enemy shields are now at 75%" Mike reported from tactical.

"I don't believe they're just sitting there while we dismantle their shields with our phasers." Geoff stated. "What do they know that we don't? Cadfael?" The curly haired officer shook his head.

"It's emanating from the area of their torpedo bay." Reg reported as Taryn floated onto the bridge in her chair and headed for an empty station and raised herself to be the right height. "I can't get a clear scan through their hull, it's… non-standard for the Jem'Hadar."

"Bastion, give me another ops panel please. No offence Davey-cakes." Taryn told her cousin.

"None taken." he replied and stood at her side as her fingers danced over the controls.

"Obviously they've been getting advice on upgrades from the mysterious Humanoid." Geoff muttered under his breath.

"They've reinforced their hull with some kind of liquid alloy. It's masking their readings and defying analysis." Taryn reported. "But the build-up of chronometric energy in their bay is so strong it's creating a window. They have a full bank of torps by the look of it. Maybe they're too busy trying to handle an overload to…TAKE EVASIVE ACTION NOW!" she bellowed as she looked at her readings.

"Mr Nog!" Geoff confirmed as the Ferengi manoeuvred the scout ship rapidly. It rocked violently with an impact. "Damage report."

" _My hull is breached on deck two. My starboard impulse engine has received damage along with the plasma vents. Emergency force fields are in place and holding. My defensive shields are intact_."

"How is that possible? Geoff asked. "Do they have our shield frequency?"

"No, they phased their entire torpedo stock. They just vanished from the bay." Taryn advised him.

"The torpedo rephased inside our shields, from the damage pattern it was a glancing blow." Reg advised Geoff.

"So how do we defend against that?" Geoff asked.

Taryn and Reg exchanged glances and both looked at Geoff. "We can't." they told him in unison as the ship rocked again.

"Those things could rephase inside our hull and literally blow us apart." David warned.

"I don't like that answer Barclays. Give me another." Geoff stated.

" _Damage Report, Deck 2, internal holographic systems are offline, Sickbay subsystems are offline, structural integrity at 82%_ " Bastion reported.

"Mr Nog, get us the hell out of here. Try and out run them." Geoff ordered.

"Wait, I know where we can hide." Dan stated. "Bastion, can you still use your external holographic generator?"

" _Yes Dan."_

"We can hide on the moon under a holographic blind." Dan suggested.

"Yes, but how do we get there?" Mike asked.

"If we time it right we can fake a core breach and jump to warp momentarily." Reg suggested. "We blow up a shuttle in our place. By the time they work out the trick we'll be out of here."

"Do it, I don't have any better ideas Reg." Geoff stated.

"Bastion?" Reg asked.

" _I am already preparing a shuttle for the purpose. May I suggest I take the helm to time our departure and arrival in lunar orbit?_ "

"No argument here." Nog muttered.

"Good idea Bastion." Geoff smiled.

…

"It's not what you expected is it?" Taryn said to Jake as she worked on the impulse engine lying on her stomach, leaning over the edge of the gantry.

"Not really. I've got some great copy though. Hiding out on the dark side of the moon from the ominous Jem'Hadar and their doomsday torpedoes." He handed her a gravitic calliper with a smile. "You aren't what I expected either."

"Everyone tells me that." she replied with a knowing smile.

"I've never heard of a ship with external holo-emitters?" Jake asked.

"It's tech they were working on at the Daystrom Annex. Bastion is able to take on the appearance of other ships within a certain size range and imitate their power signature or in this case show the ground below us on the surface of the ship and mask our signature altogether. It's not the most robust system, it's only a prototype."

"It's a neat trick though. I'm surprised it's allowed under the Treaty of Algeron."

"It's within the letter of the law but not exactly its spirit." Taryn smiled. "We found far worse violations when we cleared out the Annex believe me."

"Is your husband alright outside? I mean, I heard he can get…nervous."

"He'll be fine. For some weird reason he likes working in Zero G and it's not every day he gets the chance to stick it to Neil Armstrong."

"Who?" Jake asked.

"The first Human on the moon," she smirked, "second now. Well, that's not the most elegant repair I've ever done Bastion, but it should hold up."

" _Thank you Mother._ "

"Thanks for helping me Jake." she told him.

"I wasn't much use really." he said apologetically as he helped her put her tools back in the kit.

"You saved me getting up and down countless times. That was a great help and you were good company."

"Did you ask him to call you mother?" Jake asked as he helped her to her feet. "Bastion, I mean."

"No, I was worried he'd imprint on me so I didn't encourage it. But he adopted Data as a father and started calling us that. I suppose he wanted parents. A feeling of belonging maybe but he's quite private about it." she said as they walked slowly down the steps to her chair. "Feel free to ask him anything though. He'll tell you if it's something he doesn't want to share."

"So he can keep secrets?" Jake asked with surprise.

"He's as entitled to a private life as any of us, but he knows where to draw the line between the professional and the personal if that's what you mean." She began to gasp as she sat down and grabbed her breathing mask.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, looking worried. She gave him a thumbs up and moved off along the corridor in her chair. "I'll go see if there's anyone else who needs a hand then."

"Did you take one small step?" Taryn said as Reg stepped out of the airlock with his helmet in his hand. "A giant leap?"

"Indeed I did and we also have a patched up hull." he leant over to kiss her, his hair damp with sweat under her hand. "It's not pretty but it should keep us going for a while."

"I managed to botch the impulse drive back together too." she told him.

"You shouldn't have to do that. Where's the engineering team?"

"Trying to get the internal holo-emitters and half of Sickbay online and your posse have been busy on the replicator as per your orders." she explained.

"Good. Let's grab a drink. I'm thirsty." he said as he stripped off the environmental suit and stowed it in a locker. "Come up with any ideas yet?"

"No but I'm still thinking about it." she said as she moved off with him along the corridor. "You?"

"No." he replied. "If we knew the phase variance, maybe we could reconfigure the shields but…" he shook his head. "We don't know they're there till they rephase and blow us to bits and by then it's too late to take a reading even if we could get close enough." They entered the mess room and he ordered two glasses of water and handed one to Taryn. "Why is your hand shaking?" he asked with concern.

"It must be cramp, I've been working at an odd angle." she replied and added her other hand to steady it. The glass fell through and into her lap. "Reg?" she said looking up at him with fear in her eyes.

"It's okay, it's just water." He grabbed a towel and crouched to dry her legs. She reached to pick up the glass from her knees but she was unable to grasp it and it tumbled to the floor, her hands moving spasmodically. "Oh God no." he whispered and hit his communicator. "Barclay to The Doctor. Taryn just lost the motor control in her hands."

" _Get her here now Reg._ " The Doctor ordered.

…

"I thought you said stasis was always an option?" Reg shouted.

"That was before the stasis generators got fried in the attack." The Doctor explained. "We're going to use neural callipers to slow the breakdown of her neurons, currently the damage isn't beyond repair." he assured him.

"Can't you adapt the hormone treatment?"

"Her immune system is attacking the artificial hormones, it's seeing them as alien. She's also showing signs of rejecting her artificial heart."

"We have the replicator working. Let's use it." Reg insisted.

"She doesn't have enough time for us to replicate two organs and she needs them both to stay alive. I'm sorry Reg, we'll try but I don't think she can win this fight."

Reg froze as he considered The Doctor's words. "No," The Doctor grabbed Reg's arm but he pulled it away. "No, I'm not losing her…"

"If you have anything to say to her you'd best say it now, before we apply the neural callipers." The Doctor told him.

Reg shambled over to her bedside, tears in his eyes as he stroked her hair.

"Not good news eh?" she asked him in a whisper.

"No." he replied with a sniff.

"You need to hold it together. You're the First Officer Mr Barclay. This crew needs you to get them home. You need to get home before our kids drive our parents loopy." she told him with a half-hearted smile. "I love you."

"I love you too." he stated and kissed her softly. "You'd better watch out for me in whatever weird Orion afterlife you end up in because I'm going to come looking for you when my time comes." he forced a smile.

"I won't go, the Thousand God's can go fuck themselves, I'm not going to the Dark Place without you. I'm sure the Mother Goddess will let me wait." she whispered. "We could try multiphasic resonance between the hull and the shields. It won't stop the torpedoes permeating the shield but it should detonate them before they reach the hull. It might limit the damage." she suggested.

"I knew I loved you for a reason." he kissed her again. "The Doctor is going to knock you out to try and buy you some time. We won't give up on you, we'll keep trying."

"Okay." she whispered. "Tell the kids I love them?"

"I will. But they already know." he kissed her forehead and looked up, then nodded to The Doctor who placed the callipers on her forehead.

…

"Why are we returning to London?" Bill Matthews asked as they sat on a train with his wife opposite.

"We are taking you to the Langham Hotel, it is the muster point for our ground forces and is both heavily guarded and monitored." Data explained. The train stopped as they reached Waterloo Station and they stood to disembark. Haydn and Emlyn and a security officer Geordi recognised were waiting on the platform.

" _Can you see them?_ " Emlyn's words flooded Geordi's mind and their two wards looked alarmed. They had never experienced telepathy before.

Geordi grabbed Data's sleeve. "Wait!" he told him. "Something's wrong."

" _They're all around us but I can't see them."_ Emlyn thought. " _Six, maybe more._ "

"What is happening?" Data asked and looked across the platform from the train window with Geordi.

"It's an ambush." Geordi swore on seeing the shrouded Jem'Hadar. "We'll go to the next station."

"This train terminates here." Data stated and the conductor entered the carriage asking everyone to disembark. "Stay between us. They will not attack in daylight." Data assured them and stepped off the train.

They immediately unshrouded on the crowded platform, eight of them. The security guard drew his phaser but was shot in the chest before he could fire it. Two Jem'Hadar froze momentarily, drew their daggers and cut their own throats as Emlyn stared at them, his hand reaching out. Haydn drew a phaser and stunned another while Data shot two more with his pistol, Geordi pushed Lizzie behind him and grabbed Bill by the sleeve. A report sounded, the sound of a rifle some distance away and Bill fell to the platform, blood spreading in a pool under his head.

Lizzie screamed before she was also hit, along with Geordi who was wounded in the thigh. The Prior brothers ran for cover behind a trolley of cases as Data returned fire with bullets hitting him.

Andrews appeared between Data and Geordi and pressed a button on the device on his wrist. They were stood on the Bridge of the Enterprise and everything was frozen.

"What the…." Geordi stated. "You told us we had till nightfall." he shouted at Andrews. "Why the hell did they suddenly unshroud in daylight?" he looked at his leg and was surprised to find it uninjured.

"Well, there's no point crying over spilt milk. We're on damage limitation now. I pulled you two out in hopes of salvaging some of this situation. We may be able to save the Federation from here." Andrews stated. "This is the day the Hyper-subspace test was supposed to happen in 2381 in the future spawned from those events."

"Spilt milk?" Geordi repeated incredulously. "People are dead."

"Yes, several people, all across London died nearly five hundred years ago. Forgive me if I don't need to wring out my hanky La Forge. A lot of other damage was done that day because Geoff Prior armed his men with phasers. The clean-up operation was a nightmare."

"I take it you are Mr Andrews." Data stated.

"Yes, and here's what you need to do. You need to get Barclay posted to Earth so he can teach there. It may be enough to stop the fall of the Federation…"

"Surely it would be wiser to return to the 19th century and prevent what happened?" Data suggested.

"That's not an option. You're already there and the Agency won't permit a return visit."

"Well screw the Agency." Geordi stated. "Did Haydn and Emlyn get out of there alive? What happened to everyone else? What happened to Bastion and the people on board?"

"That's classified." Andrews said coldly. "You both need to focus on the matter in hand. Back there is over, it's done. You blew it. Move on. You need to get Barclay to request a transfer to Earth. Don't let him get distracted. Make sure he does it."

"But what about Taryn, their kids?" Geordi asked.

Andrews sighed. "We have to make some concessions when things go this badly awry. It's unavoidable. But Reginald Barclay will meet Taryn Prior, that's also unavoidable."

"They are a Universal Constant?" Data asked

"Yes, but that doesn't mean they automatically get a happily ever after." Andrews stated. "He's the one you need to get to Earth, he needs to teach. Above all, don't tell anyone you're from another timeline."

"Are there any other rules we need to know about?" Geordi asked sarcastically.

"Don't waste your time working out where the timeline went wrong. Don't go through the history books lamenting what might have been. It's pointless. Live in the here and now. This is what we have to work with." Andrews shimmered out of sight and activity on the Bridge resumed as though he'd never been there.

"Mr Data, may I have a moment?" Picard asked as he stood and walked to the Ready Room. "I need to speak to you after Mr La Forge if you wouldn't mind waiting?" he added as he reached the door. They both nodded and Data followed him into the room. "Please take a seat Data." he said sullenly

"With Commander Shelby leaving the ship it leaves a vacancy. A vacancy that by a rights should go to you. However, Starfleet have ruled that as you are their property you cannot exceed your current rank and position. I have challenged this decision, but my pleas have fallen on deaf ears. I can only apologize."

Data blinked. He was the property of Starfleet? "Thank you for your efforts on my behalf sir." Data stated, not knowing what else to say.

"I wish I could do more Data. I wish I could have done more but when Maddox won that hearing it was all I could do to get you back from him so Dr Crusher and Geordi could put you back together. You were lucky to survive let alone keep your rank and the position of Second Officer. I'm going to offer the job to Geordi. I know you're friends. I hope it won't cause any animosity between you?"

"It will not sir." Data assured him. "Not on my part. Commander La Forge will make an admirable First Officer and will have my full support."

"Thank you Data. I'm sorry this is so unfair to you. You're a remarkable officer and a loyal friend. I wish Command could see you the way I do."

"If wishes were horses sir, beggars would ride." Data stated.

…

"Dr Crusher, how is our newest recruit settling in?" Picard asked.

"Shhh, she's taking the Barclay test now." the auburn haired medic said as she watched with her arms folded.

"I see." he smirked and arched a brow, mimicking her pose.

"She's doing well so far sir." Nurse Ogawa whispered. "He hasn't sobbed or rended his clothing once yet."

"And you're sure of that?" Barclay asked the pretty doctor.

"Have you heard of Occam's Razor Commander?" she asked politely. Her green features even and her jet coloured hair in a jaw length bob that was held back from her face by her pointed ears.

"Of course I have. The simplest explanation is probably the right one…" he explained.

"Exactly, there's an old saying in medicine, if you hear hoof-beats think horses not zebras and the simplest explanation is you have a low grade fever and painful urination due to a urinary tract infection. Not Penile Cellular Disintegration Syndrome or Aldebaran Prostate Leprosy."

"It's Archosaurian gonorrhoea isn't it?" he asked dejectedly.

"Archosaurian gonorrhoea?" she paused. "It could be that." she conceded.

"Well… H…have we caught it early enough for treatment?" he asked desperately.

"That depends," she replied earnestly. "How long ago did you have anal sex with a male Gorn?"

"A…anal s…sex with a…G..g…g" he repeated nervously.

"Obviously you'd have to be the postman rather than the letterbox, so to speak…" she commented. "The other way around causes a different set of problems and despite what you may have heard you can't catch it from a toilet seat."

"I..I…haven't I…I haven't even done that with a g…girl…I mean a Human…Humanoid girls. I like girls. Obviously I've been with girls, real girls." he smiled.

"Good for you Mr Barclay." she winked as she made some notes on a padd. "I'm going to give you an antibiotic and because you're concerned I'd like you to come back with a sample. But I assure you it's a water infection and nothing to worry about. Make sure you take plenty of fluids and in a couple of days you'll be right as rain."

"I can go and pee now…" he suggested as she pressed a hypospray to his neck and he whimpered.

"That's not the type of sample we need to rule out the condition's you mentioned." she stated and got out a container from a drawer. "Take this to your quarters, think of Human…Humanoid girls, girls, real girls and do your stuff!" she said enthusiastically.

"Do…my stuff?" he asked with a sneer, taking the cup from her.

"Spank the monkey, choke the chicken, beat the meat Mr Barclay, knock one out. Lie back and think of the Enterprise if you have to." she told him.

"Do you expect me to…f…fill this?" he asked incredulously.

"That would be a tall order for the best of men Commander. I only need a little squirt to run the tests. Just do your best." she advised him. "Any time today will be fine but bring it back as soon as you've done it. Your boys have a limited lifespan once they're out in the open."

"Oh…okay," he smiled shyly. "Thank you Doctor um…"

"Prior, as in please come here prior to trying to diagnose yourself?" she suggested with a smile. He nodded awkwardly and left sickbay.

"You handled that very well." Dr Crusher said as she approached her. "He's not the easiest of patients."

"He thought his dick was about to fall off, bless him. I think he was hoping I'd be male. I agreed to analyse his semen to put his mind at rest but it's a bacterial UTI." She passed the CMO his results.

"He should certainly be more relaxed for a while and it's a reasonable precaution in a man his age. Good work." she said.

"Does he always get himself all stirred up and then come in panicking?" Taryn asked as they walked through Sickbay.

"Usually. He's a sweet man and a brilliant engineer, he just got promoted to Chief Engineer in fact, but he's a world class hypochondriac." She looked at her junior doctor askance. "A little bird tells me you have quite the singing voice."

"Only when I'm drunk or in the shower usually, why?" Taryn asked.

"What range?"

"Contralto, tenor at a pinch. Again why?"

"My theatre workshop is putting on a production of Mamma Mia. I was wondering if you'd like to audition? It would be a great way to make new friends…"

"I'll think about it." Taryn smirked.

…

"Is Dr Prior here?" Reg asked as he looked around Dr Crusher's office door.

"She just went off duty, can I help you Reg?" she smiled looking up from her terminal.

"She asked me to…" he held up a cup.

"Oh good, I'll put it in stasis." she told him and took his sample, "She'll check it tomorrow."

"She seems very young." he commented as he followed her to the lab.

"She's very capable." Dr Crusher replied. "We were lucky to get her."

"Oh I didn't mean to imply she wasn't qualified…I just wondered how old she is? It's not always easy to tell with humanoids."

"She's twenty-nine." she replied.

"She looks younger." he remarked sadly.

"Your point Reg?" she asked as she placed the sample in the stasis unit.

"I just wondered." he looked at his hands. "I heard she's an Admiral's daughter or something?"

"Not just an Admiral, he's the Judge Advocate General." she replied.

"I thought he was Human." he frowned.

"He is."

"But she's…"

"A hybrid. Look, perhaps you should talk to her yourself? She's very friendly and open about her biological heritage." the Doctor suggested.

"I…I couldn't." he smiled and fidgeted with his hands. "So she'll call? About the tests I mean."

"It's just a precaution Reg." Beverly warned.

"I know, but she'll call right?" he asked earnestly.

"Yes, she'll call after the tests are complete." she assured him. He smiled and turned to walk away, almost colliding with a cabinet then side stepped it nervously and left the room. "And I thought he was tense when he hadn't just whacked off."

…

"You wanted to see me?" Reg asked nervously.

"Yes Commander." Dr Prior said with a smile. "Let's step into the office for a moment."

"Is there a problem?" he asked, looking alarmed as she closed the door behind him.

"No, not really." she assured him as she indicated he should sit and perched on Dr Crusher's desk. "All the tests were clear across the board. No sign of any unusual infections or disorders. Your sample size was within normal range, your sperm count is above average and your prostate health is good. The only issue…"

"Oh boy…" he started to hyperventilate.

"It's nothing to worry about." she crouched beside him and grasped his arm. "I just spotted something unusual about your genetic chemistry. It won't affect your health at all. All it means is you may have unpredictable reactions to genetic and immunological treatments and we have to consider the wider ramifications should you need them in future."

"So I'm okay?" he asked plaintively, "and I can have children?"

"You may pass it on to them, but now we're aware of it it shouldn't be a problem." she smiled as she squeezed his wrist and stood up. "If we hadn't spotted this my guess would be you'd end up with something morphogenic, something really exotic and unusual." He laughed nervously at the thought. "So, are you feeling any better?"

"It's still really painful to go." he told her. "And sometimes I can't go."

"Not just a burning sensation?" she asked.

He shook his head. "It hurts here too," he rubbed his lower abdomen. "and I've passed some blood." he admitted reluctantly.

"Okay, come through and I'll take a look." she told him and led him to sickbay. She grabbed a tricorder and scanned him as he perched uncomfortably on a stool "Well, Mr Barclay. You have cystoliths." she advised him.

"What?" he said with alarm.

"Vesical calculus, bladder stones. It's not an uncommon complication with a urine infection."

"Oh God." he moaned. "Do I need surgery?"

"No, I should be able to beam them out." she stated brightly. "You'll feel better right away."

"W…what do you mean beam? With a transporter?" he said with alarm.

"It's the same technology, but it's not at all on the same scale…"

"No, you're not beaming bits of me away. What if you miss? What if I end up missing a nut or something?" he screeched.

"Is there a problem?" Dr Crusher asked and Taryn handed her the tricorder.

"No." Reg said quickly. "No problem. I'll just be going. These things pass don't they? I'll just drink lots of water and let them pass on their own." he stood and headed for the door.

"Commander, get your behind back here." Taryn ordered. "You have three options. Surgery, transport or wait for them to pass. If you'd prefer someone else to treat you that's fine but the third option is extremely painful and from the size of the stones it's borderline that you'll pass them at all."

"She's right Reg, from this I'd recommend removal, one way or another."

He looked at the ceiling. "Okay, but I want Dr Crusher to do it. Not because I don't trust you or think you're a bad doctor. Because…Will you have dinner with me?" he asked Taryn earnestly.

She looked at him stunned. "Well, um…" she looked around nervously. "Okay." she replied with a smile.

"You will?" he smiled. "Wow."

"Once you're healthy." Taryn stated. "I don't want you keeling over during dessert."

He nodded and looked at Dr Crusher. "Can you do it now?"

"That depends, surgery or transport?" she replied.

"Can I check over your equipment?" he asked earnestly.

Dr Crusher rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Dr Prior can show you our micro transporter."

"It's this way Commander." Prior smiled.

"Um it's Reginald…well Reg."

"Taryn." she smiled shyly as she showed him the device. "I'm sure you've seen it all before."

"W…what?" he asked desperately.

"The transporter?" she replied with an embarrassed smile.

"I thought you meant…" he stopped mid-sentence. "Can I see the service records?"

"For me or the transporter?" she flashed him a wolfish smile then pulled up the records on the terminal.

He tutted. "I'm sure your service records are in better order…" he looked at her with alarm. "I wasn't implying you need servicing…I mean…I need to get on top of…. maintenance up here I mean. Geordi delegated it and…"

She laughed and touched his arm. "Let's assume we're being literal rather than euphemistic, at least during duty hours."

"That's probably a good idea." he smiled. "I'm sorry if I put you on the spot. If you want to back out…" he said earnestly. "You seemed a little reluctant at first."

"No, of course I don't want to back out. If I wasn't happy to have dinner with you I wouldn't have agreed. I was surprised that's all. I'm not used to patients refusing my care to ask me out." She curled her lip. "They usually refuse because I'm too young or too green. Or they skip the refusing care and asking out part and try to cop a feel."

"Does that happen a lot?" he asked with genuine concern.

"It's what got me transferred from my last post." she admitted. "Apparently I made him do it with my Green Orion wiles and the Captain sided with him."

"Did you make a complaint?" he frowned.

"No, it…it would…everyone would think my father pulled strings if it was upheld. It was easier to leave."

"I know we don't know each other very well yet. But don't let anyone drive you away from here?" he gazed into her dark green eyes and felt lost in them. Before he knew what he was doing he bumped noses with her and gasped. His lips met with hers for an instant.

"You're hot." she whispered. "You're trembling."

"You excite me." he whispered and took her in his arms.

"No, you're feverish." she objected. "We need to get you to a bed."

"Oh God yes." he sighed and kissed along her jawline.

"I mean a medical bed, you require treatment." she pulled his arms from her waist with a gentle smile.

"You do excite me though." he argued, looking deep into her eyes.

"I think you're delirious." she said as she steered him to a biobed.

"Do you like to dance? Of course you do, it's in your blood. We should go dancing." he told her enthusiastically. "I could teach you to ride a horse. You'd look great with a stallion between your legs." he said as she pushed him onto the bed.

"I know how to ride." she told him with a giggle and signalled for Dr Crusher. "Your patient is spiking a fever and a little delirious doctor." she told her senior colleague.

"I'm deliriously happy." he smiled. "I've got a date with a hot, really hot…God she's beautiful…Isn't she just lovely?" he asked Nurse Ogawa as she gave him a hypospray.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"I'm so embarrassed." Reg admitted as he prodded lettuce around his plate. "I'm amazed you didn't stand me up after the way I behaved."

"You were unwell." Taryn said sympathetically. "I've heard a lot worse from delirious patients believe me."

"I didn't say anything…ungentlemanly did I?"

"You did make a suggestion where you'd like to put your tongue at one point but that was as fruity as it got." She smirked and popped a cherry tomato into her mouth from her fork.

"Oh boy." he whispered and pulled his napkin from his lap and put it on the table. "Should I go now?"

"Where?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

"I don't know. What's the usual distance for a restraining order?" he asked.

"If we're going to be friends you need to be more optimistic." she told him with a warm smile.

"You want to be friends?" he asked with an injured frown.

"Friends is the best place to start. Where we go from there remains to be seen. Optimism remember?" She flashed him a smile as she sipped her fruit juice. "Aren't you hungry?" she asked. "You've been playing with your food for the last five minutes and it's only the entrée."

"I'm…really nervous." he admitted. "I don't know where I found the courage to ask you out. Febrile bravado I suppose." he smiled shyly. "I normally worship women I like from afar for a while, pine for a number of months and recreate them on the holodeck…" he admitted.

"I read your notes the day we met. There's very little you could tell me that would surprise me." she stated sympathetically.

"I was telling the truth, I have been with real girls, but it was a long time ago and…I don't know why I'm telling you this." He looked away, embarrassed. "So what made you want to be a doctor?" he asked with a smile.

"I didn't, I wanted to study engineering in one form or another. I was always taking things apart as a child. I had this grand plan to major in Engineering and Exobiology at the Academy and be an Ops Officer. I studied Cybernetics at Daystrom as an undergraduate and while I was there my Grandad became ill and I helped take care of him until he died."

"Oh, I'm sorry." he commiserated.

"He had three children and fourteen grandchildren, he had a remarkable career as a professor at Cambridge and he was over one hundred and thirty years old. He didn't leave this plane of existence in any way unfulfilled." she explained. "I was wrangling with a problem with my prototype positronic brain and I asked Grandad's doctor how the human brain handles the same issue. He gave me a book on neural anatomy and before I knew it I realised I'd been trying to recreate a biological being with science rather than creating something new. Both Noonien Soong and nature had already beaten me to it and it suddenly felt…hollow. I was also having issues with the line the Federation was taking in terms of technology after they ruled Data property so caring for Grandad seemed more worthwhile. I was close to graduating so I finished my degree then went to a different branch of the Academy instead, the Medical School."

"So is that your specialty? Cybernetic implants?"

"No, although my training in Cybernetics and AI was a factor in getting posted here. Personnel with qualifications like mine aren't often available for starship service and this is the only ship with an android officer. My specialty is Diagnostic Medicine." she replied with a smirk. "I analyse symptoms that could be signs of a number of conditions and rule them out until I come up with the right one and if necessary devise a treatment for something new."

"Seriously? I was a Diagnostic Engineer before they made me Chief." he told her. "It's very similar but with technology instead of biology."

"It shows." she grinned. "Some of the self-diagnoses you come up with are interesting to say the least. For someone researching on their own with no medical degree and just the Starfleet Medical Database you do hit possible differential diagnoses. Although you always fly to the worst case scenario." she sipped her drink again. "Again, you lack optimism."

"Are you ready for your main courses?" the waiter asked with a smile.

"I think we'll skip straight to dessert if that's alright?" Taryn suggested and Reg nodded. "So what made you become an Engineer?"

"I was also taking everything apart and building things when I was young. My mother hated it. She wanted me to be a Command officer but that was never for me, I was never…confident enough." He forced a smile. "My Dad and his side of the family encouraged me and I went to Daystrom to study Computer Systems, and then I joined up after. My mother still wasn't happy of course but she split from my Dad long before that and I stayed with him."

"Are you still nervous?" she asked as their desserts arrived.

"Yes." he cast his eyes around before locking them with hers. "I like you a lot and I don't want to blow it." He watched nervously as she rose from her seat and joined him on the bench seat, sitting close.

"I think we need to establish some… rules of engagement that may help you feel less on edge." she said slowly as she offered him a spoonful of chocolate soufflé. "I always go on a second date, no matter what happens on the first." She took a spoonful herself, taking it slowly into her mouth eliciting a sigh from his lips as he watched. "I know how nerves can make someone seem…unlike themselves." She licked her lips as she fed him another mouthful. "I won't go to bed with you. Not until I get to know you a lot better but I certainly want to get to know you." she whispered and rested her hand on his thigh. "You could fascinate me Mr Barclay." she gazed deep into his eyes.

The set of his jaw and his expression hardened. "Did Ashby put you up to this?"

"Who?" she asked with a frown.

"Ensign Dan Ashby, all around jerk and bane of my existence?" he said angrily. "I bet he's already put the moves on you and got you to lead me on. What's the punchline? Get me in a compromising position and then bring everyone in to laugh?"

"No, I'd never do that." she placed her hand on his arm and he pulled it away savagely.

"Well you can tell him it didn't work. Probably while you're in bed together. I hear he's a good lay, he's had most of the women on the ship so why should you be left out."

She sat there looking stunned as he stalked away. "Are you okay?" Guinan asked the baffled green medic.

"I don't know." she replied. "I thought it was going well then he freaked out and got angry. Who's Ashby?"

"One of Barclay's engineers and our resident Lothario. He likes to play practical jokes."

"How could he think I'd go out with him as a joke?" Taryn asked. "He asked me out, not the other way around." She paused. "He can't have a very high opinion of me."

"Who Barclay? I think it has more to do with his opinion of himself." Guinan explained. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No thank you. Sorry we didn't finish. It was really nice." she smiled weakly.

"I'll send your compliments to the replicator." Guinan smirked.

…

"…Irox and McKittridge, I'd like you to perform a level three diagnostic on the forward sensor array. Ops reported distortions in sensor data last night and it's on the maintenance roster for next week anyway. We may have to bring it forward. That will be all… except…Ashby, you're with me." Reg turned and headed for the corner of Main Engineering where the Chief Engineer usually lurked. The tall blond Ensign frowned and followed him.

"Is there a problem Boss?" he asked looking concerned.

"Your practical joke has crossed the line this time Ensign." Reg informed him. "I'm transferring you to Sensor Control. Consider yourself lucky this isn't an official reprimand."

"What practical joke sir?" Dan asked.

"Don't play innocent with me. I know all about it." he said angrily.

"If you mean the alterations I made to the sonic shower in Ensign Laraby's quarters, the whipped cream was…a private joke sir." Ashby admitted. "I changed it back right after in my own time and she thought it was funny."

"I'm not talking about that…"

"Well, Lieutenant Morgan deserved to have his shower gel dispenser changed to depilatory cream. The guy's a bully, he had Ensign Joroth in tears yesterday and frankly he could do with a wax, he's hairier than you are…sir." he added looking guilty.

"Ensign…"

"Okay, I'm sorry I put d'Artagnon from your Three Musketeers program in a mankini but it was just a harmless prank. I thought you'd laugh."

"I'm talking about Dr Prior."

"The new doctor? I haven't met her. I hear she's cute though. Is she?" Dan asked with interest.

"She's very cute…what do you mean you haven't met her? You sent her to seduce me as a joke." Reg blurted.

"Nothing to do with me sir…. Oh Reg you didn't…" he said as the blood drained from the Chief Engineers face. "Don't tell me you were on a promise with an Orion chick and blew it?"

"She's only quarter Orion," Reg said as he slumped into his seat, "and I well and truly blew it." he admitted.

"Boss, I would never mess with affaires de coeur. Some things are sacrosanct dude."

"Get back to work Ashby." Reg said tiredly.

"Do you still want me to report to Sensor Control sir?" he asked.

"Carry on with scheduled maintenance Ensign, forget about the transfer." Reg clenched his jaw and turned away in his chair. She meant it, she meant every word and he'd responded by behaving like a jack ass. He could apologize till he was blue in the face, no way would she even talk to him now, let alone… He stood and clenched his fists, anger and frustration boiling over…

…

"I'll have to get the duty doctor to look at this." the med-tech told him as he examined his smashed up hand. Reg nodded and winced from the pain.

"I hope you didn't do this thumping Ensign Ashby." Taryn stated as she walked into the exam room. He shook his head and looked away, avoiding her gaze. Of all the doctors that could have been on the early shift it had to be her. He really couldn't catch a break. "I'd better give you something for the pain so I can examine it properly, but from the initial scans it's going to need some manipulation before I can set it." she tilted his chin and pressed a hypospray to his neck, he fought the urge to moan and failed. "I'll take care of this nasty laceration first." she told him and held the dermal generator over his knuckle, gently taking his hand. "You know, you didn't have to turn your hand into a maraca to get me to hold hands with you. You could have just asked."

He resisted the urge to smile. "After last night I thought you'd say no."

"What did you do to yourself?" she asked plaintively, "this is a mess."

"I punched a hole in my terminal screen." he admitted.

"You're lucky you didn't get an electroplasmic shock, you daft sod. Sorry." she winced as she manipulated his hand and he yelped. "I hope you cleared your calendar for the morning because this will take a while." She nodded at the med-tech with a smile as he wheeled over a bone fusion unit and she applied a device around his upper arm. "This should block the pain signals from your hand while I work. Do you want to tell me why you 'tripped and hit your hand on your terminal'?" she asked as she moved the scanner into place and perched on a stool.

"I didn't…" he frowned.

"Yes you did, you don't need a self-inflicted injury on your record." she smirked as she looked through the viewer. "It doesn't look good for a newly promoted officer to lose his rag and break things and by rights I should refer you for counselling. Try and hold still for me." she moved his hand slightly and activated the fuser.

"I got angry with myself. I gave Ashby a carpeting he didn't deserve, although he confessed to three other practical jokes trying to work out what I was mad about. Maybe I should use it as a management technique." he smiled. "Ow!" he exclaimed.

She pressed a button a few times on the nerve block device. "Better?" she asked and he nodded in response. "It worked for my Dad. He'd line us all up every week or so and say he knew exactly what we'd done, and give us this stare. My older brothers always caved first but I knew he was on a fishing expedition. Aaron, I think we need some more pain relief, another 10 cc's please? The nerve block isn't enough for him, he must have a low pain threshold." she said as she looked up at Reg's face. "You look a little pale, are you okay? Reg...Reg? Let's lay him down…"

…

"What happened?" Reg asked blearily.

"Everything's alright, you left us for a while there." she smiled sweetly at him, still perched on a stool beside the biobed and operating the bone fusion unit. "The worst should be over but I still have a little more to do. Are you in any pain?"

"A little, but it's okay." he murmured and rubbed his chest, confused that his collar was open, then realizing they must have loosened his clothing. He pressed his wrist to his forehead in despair. As if it wasn't bad enough he'd fainted in front of her as well.

"You can have another 5 cc's if you want it. No need to be a hero." she offered as she continued setting the tiny splintered fractures in his hand. "No one will think any the less of you." she said.

"I'm fine." he replied and tried to sit.

"Don't move." she warned. "I don't want to have to re-break any of these fractures and re-fuse them. I'd prefer to leave you with a hand that works properly."

"What happened here?" Dr Crusher asked as she looked at Barclay's notes and original scan.

"It's a bats fracture." Taryn stated and Beverly nodded in agreement.

"You should take more water with it Commander, or watch where you put your feet." she winked, letting him know she was in on the white lie. Beverly looked through the scope for a moment. "Nice work, hands can be very tricky." she told Taryn and left her to work.

"What's a bats fracture?" Reg asked.

"Old school medical code. It stands for 'broken all to shit'." Taryn smirked. "Okay, can you make a fist for me?" she asked eventually, looking at his hand through the device. "Grip my hand as hard as you can," she smirked. "You can do better than that, a strapping fella like you." she prompted. "Good, well. It looks good. How does it feel?"

"Sore." he replied.

"It will be, but it will pass in a day or so. You may get some residual bruising as well but it shouldn't be too severe." she replied. "Are you right handed?" He nodded in response. "Try not to use it too much today and if the pain gets worse come back." she helped him to sit and he perched on the bed looking embarrassed and ruffled.

"I'm really sorry." he whispered. "I behaved appallingly..."

"There's no need to apologise. I've been the butt of jokes myself, including similar to what you accused me of. I do understand." she replied softly.

"D..do I get that second date?" he asked nervously.

"No." she replied and shut down the bone fusion unit. He nodded sadly and stood then began heading for the door. "You get to have another first date." she smiled.

…

"Reg," she whispered as he kissed her neck, his hand trying to insinuate it's way into her bra. "Reg." she said more firmly. "We're in the Arboretum!"

"I know." he gasped, "aren't the Zalnias beautiful?"

"People are watching!" she hissed.

"No they're not, they're busy doing the same as us." he whispered as he rolled over, pulling her on top of him and kissing her fervently. "I've never felt like this about anyone." he whispered, her face in his hands as she gazed down at him. "I've never met anyone as perfect as you."

"I'm still not having sex with you yet," she grinned wolfishly, "but that was a really good try." She rolled off him and lay beside him on the grass, taking his hand in hers and entwining her fingers with his.

"You are such a tease." he sighed as he kissed her hand softly.

"It's our second date." she pointed out. "I did tell you I like to take things slowly."

"Yes, but it's not easy with your pheromones doing things to me." he argued. "And technically it's our third date."

"I haven't exposed you to any yet," she frowned. "I use a Vulcan technique to hold them back. It makes life less complicated."

"I'm going to die." he stated solemnly. "Like a salmon, a victim of semelparity."

She laughed. "Suicidal mating?"

"I'm overwhelmed with desire now but when you let those hormonal floodgates open along with your beautiful legs I'm going to make wild, passionate love to you. Probably for hours and then I'll expire, a worn out husk of hair, skin and trace elements." he intoned.

"Hours eh?" she arched a brow and propped herself on her elbow to look at him with a smirk.

"Maybe not hours, I wouldn't want to overplay my hand." he smirked and gazed at her.

"You're a lovely man. I'll try not to kill you with my vagina." she placed her hand on his chest and kissed his cheek tenderly and then his lips. "Are you sure no one's watching?"

He craned his neck and looked around. "I can't see anyone aside from some guy's butt going up and down over there."

"Press ups?" she suggested.

"Press ups? In the shrubbery, in a corner of the Arboretum half naked? I very much doubt it." he said incredulously and she sat up to look excitedly. He pulled her back. "Down girl, you're spoken for remember?" he reminded her and kissed her passionately. He gasped as she pulled away and his eyes widened as she slid down his body and opened his uniform at the crotch. "Oh boy, we that are about to die salute you." he quoted as she began her tender ministrations with her mouth.

"You're sure I can't return the favour?" he asked with a smile as they stood at the door of her quarters his hand on her waist and the other clasping hers. He kissed her fingers tenderly. "I bet you taste delicious." he whispered in her ear.

"I wouldn't normally have bestowed such a favour on a second date, or a third." she admitted guiltily. "Perhaps you aren't the only one overwhelmed with desire." He clutched her to him, kissing her for all he was worth. "I have to go." she gasped, gazing up into his eyes when he finally stopped to catch his breath. "I have a staff meeting first thing…"

"This is real isn't it?" he asked earnestly. "You feel it too?"

"Yes," she stroked his cheek tenderly.

"When can I see you again?"

"I'm on late shift from tomorrow," she frowned, "and I have rehearsals for the woodwind ensemble, and I'm supposed to audition for this bloody play...um…soon I promise."

"Promise?" He kissed her again as she nodded, burying his hand in her hair. He pressed his forehead to hers and sighed deeply before moving away.

"Wait?" she called after him. "Don't go?" she pleaded. He lifted her off the ground as he embraced her, pressing desperate kisses to her face.

"I don't know If I can after…" he whispered as he carried her into her quarters. "It takes me a while to get going again."

"Just hold me." she whispered, her arms around his shoulders.

"I'll hold you forever if you'll let me." he told her earnestly.

…

"Oh God," he grunted, "I'm sorry, can I…inside you?" he asked desperately as he rocked between her thighs.

"It's okay, don't fight it." she whispered, holding him tight.

"Sorry." he whimpered as he reached completion. "Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Shh." she whispered and kissed him softly. "It's okay."

"I should go, I'm sorry." he apologised and got up, grabbing his clothes.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"What's the matter? I was a ten second wonder, that's what's the matter." Reg replied as he pulled on his underwear. "I should to go anyway. You don't need me hanging around now I'm done."

"Reg. The real girls you've been with, were they…How can I put it? professional ladies?" she asked tentatively.

"Why d…do you ask?" he asked nervously as he put on his shirt.

She covered herself with a sheet and sat up, her arms loosely around her knees. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. In Orion culture the role of courtesan is a highly respected one, requiring years of training."

"So?" he said with his jaw set.

"In my experience lovers don't ask permission before the ejaculate inside their partners, although it was rather sweet. It's something Orion courtesans charge extra for. Of course some men are into the old cumshot of course but you didn't ask for that. Lovers don't jump out of bed and run off either but courtesans give you the bums rush if you don't pay more so they can move on to their next client."

"How do you know so much about it?" he asked tersely. "Is that how you worked your way through University? On your back?"

"I'm going to overlook that comment because you're upset and I care about you, also because I was only fourteen when I enrolled at Daystrom."

He dropped his eyes apologetically. "I'm sorry." he whispered and sat on the bed. "My first was another Cadet, but she thought I was my roommate in the dark, she was…so embarrassed that it was me. It was like she hated herself after. She didn't want me to finish inside her."

"She probably wasn't on birth control." Taryn reasoned. "You'd be amazed how many people still use the withdrawal method."

"You're kidding?" Reg said with alarm. "I never thought of that. I thought girls didn't like it. Oh God, what if I'd got her pregnant? I didn't know what I was doing. Oh boy, don't the...you know the… boys escape during?"

"If you mean does pre-ejaculate contain semen, then yes."

"Oh God, I'm not on the binary contraceptive. What if we?"

"Relax, it's taken care of. I have a contraceptive implant to stop me going into season and becoming a menace to society." she explained. "I have a less than fifteen percent chance of conceiving naturally anyway."

"Why? Did something happen?" he asked with concern.

"It's just how I'm made." she told him with a reassuring smile. "Part of the fun of being a hybrid."

"I didn't realise." he whispered. "You're okay though?"

"Medically I have to be treated as a unique species but I'm a stable hybrid if that's what you mean." she replied. Everyone knew the horror stories of hybrids that didn't quite work out right, although few of them survived gestation let alone to adulthood.

"What about your brothers and sisters?"

"Only my twin brother and I share this same biological mother. Medically he's like a Human/Vulcan hybrid, aside from deafness and mutism he's fine. He's a high level telepath so he gets by with that and sign language."

"Are you older or younger?" he asked with interest.

"Older, by eleven minutes."

He sighed thoughtfully, "There was one other real girl and…it was on shore leave and I paid her. I took care of the precautions that time, I wore a... Other than that it's been holograms."

"Was she kind to you?" Taryn asked softly.

"What the…? She was okay. I think she faked it though." he admitted.

"I wasn't faking it earlier when you went down on me," she said, rubbing his back affectionately, "and it's common for men to get a little…over excited…when they're first exposed to Orion pheromones. Because I hold them back normally you didn't get any chance to acclimatise."

"You're just saying that." He rubbed his face distractedly. "I know I was a disappointment."

"Not at all." she replied earnestly. "You felt wonderful inside me, even if it was a little short and sweet. I think when we find our rhythm we'll be amazing together." She rested her chin on his shoulder. "Come back to bed?"

"You could do so much better than me." he whispered.

"I'm no prize you know. You should see me lose my temper." She smirked. "It's not easy being with a Green Woman, even one who wishes she was Human. People will always doubt my motives, including you and when you stop doubting me we're in real trouble."

"What do you mean?" he asked with a frown.

"That will be when my pheromones have turned you into my slave." She bit her lip thoughtfully.

"I'm already your slave." he replied in a whisper. "Do you mind if I stay?"

She rolled her eyes. "I just asked you to come back to bed." She held out her arms to him. "Come here you big prat."

…

"Okay, I need someone to do the lighting?" Beverly asked. Taryn elbowed Reg in the ribs playfully as he raised his hand.

"You should try out for a part, you have a great voice." she whispered. "I've heard you in the shower.

"It's scary enough acting without singing as well." he muttered in her ear and kissed it softly.

"You all probably know Taryn already, but she's agreed to audition for the group today as well as for a part." she applauded as Taryn reluctantly stepped forward carrying a base guitar and perched on a stool as she connected it to an amplifier.

She began to play in a steady riff like a heartbeat and began to speak. "I wasn't sure what to sing for this audition, I expect we're going to hear a lot of Abba this evening, not that that's a bad thing but I decided to think outside the box a little, I hope that's okay." She paused as she changed key. "I couldn't choose a passage to read either, but this is one of my favourite songs and I do like the lyrics a lot. I think they're simple but eloquent, understated." She went back to the original key and played for a few bars before she began to sing.

 _"_ _You don't know how to ease my pain  
You don't know  
You don't know how to ease my pain_

 _You don't know what the sound is, darlin'  
It's the sound of my tears fallin'  
Or is it the rain?  
You don't know_

 _You don't know how to play the game  
And you cheat, you lie  
You make me wanna cry  
You make me wanna cry, cry  
You make me wanna cry."_

Reg sat open mouthed, not only at the sweetness of her voice but the heartbreaking emotion she was imparting with her song.

 _"_ _You don't know how to ease my pain  
You don't know  
You don't know how to ease my pain_

 _Don't you hear any voices cryin'?  
That's the sound of my love dyin'  
Here comes the rain_

 _You don't know how to play the game  
And you cheat, you lie  
You don't even know how to say goodbye  
You make me wanna cry  
You don't know_

 _You don't even know how to say goodbye  
You make me wanna cry."_

Reg exchanged a glance with Dr Crusher and noticed she was tearing up a little at Taryn's simple but plaintive song and her moving performance. "Okay, thank you, that was lovely. Well, I can definitely welcome you to the group, but we do have a few more people to hear." The doctor smiled as Taryn took her guitar and returned to her seat next to Reg, looking embarrassed.

"I don't think I've ever sung in front of this many people sober before. Was I okay?" she asked Reg from behind her instrument.

"Okay?" he asked incredulously. "You were incredible!" He took her hand and kissed it, followed by her cheek.

"Lieutenant Barrymore hates me." Taryn said as they walked to her quarters holding hands.

"It's about time someone took her down a peg or two, her ego is way out of control. She's such a Diva only she sings sharp and dances like a horse in a Human suit." Reg replied. "You got the part of Tanya because you're great, besides, she wanted the lead, she always wants the lead." He stopped as they reached her door and smiled down at her.

"Aren't you coming in?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

"I've stayed here every night this week. People are beginning to talk."

"Really, what are they saying?" she asked with interest.

"That I'm a lucky swine mostly. But there have been a few comments about you that I'd sooner not repeat." he admitted reluctantly.

"Does that bother you?" she asked innocently.

"A little." he looked away guiltily and clenched his jaw.

"Do you think people will stop making off colour comments about me if we stay apart?" she asked. He knew it was a rhetorical question, they'd discussed the fact people would always have things to say about a Green woman. She grabbed the front of his uniform and pulled him down to kiss him softly with a smile. "I love you." She whispered in his ear. "Nothing anyone else says matters to me."

"You…we haven't said that to each other yet." he said, gazing into her eyes with alarm.

"I think I just did." she smirked. "I don't expect you to say it back, don't worry." She turned to enter her quarters, he caught her arm to stop her.

"I've wanted to tell you I love you from the moment I saw you." he whispered earnestly. She grabbed the neck of his jumpsuit again and dragged him into her quarters. Her lips pressed to his in a heated kiss.

…

"What do you call this position again?" he asked breathlessly as she straddled his lap.

"The Rocking Horse." she whispered, sighing as her breasts brushed against his chest, his breath hot in her face. "What do you think?"

"Nice," he smiled, "but I don't have much control."

"Grab my bum." she prompted and he moved his arms that were taking his weight behind him and grasped her hips. Steering her as she ground her body. "Better?" she whispered, grasping his shoulders as she pumped.

"I can't thrust like this, with my legs behind you." he replied as he kissed her neck.

"There's just no pleasing you Barclay." She laughed and he swallowed hard at the flutter it caused inside her. "It's not enough to have a Green Woman riding your cock you want to be in charge too?" She raised her knees and put her feet down, moving into a crouch and away from him. "Shift to your knees." she instructed and lowered herself onto him once he complied. "Part them a little. How's that?"

"Better." He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "You?"

"I'm getting there." she sighed as she gripped his back.

"How quickly?" he asked desperately.

"Oh God!" she shouted and arched her back suddenly. For a moment he thought she was having a seizure as she convulsed wildly, her head and shoulders pressed hard into the mattress. She'd climaxed before but was usually underneath him or he had a limited view with his face pressed to her groin. He thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, her body pulsing hard with pleasure. The sight of it alone would probably be enough to make him cream in his underwear if he was watching let alone a participant. She reached up to him, grasping his shoulder as he gripped her waist and fought the urge to join her in the throes of ecstasy. She was pumping him like a plasma injector, pinioned on his manhood and he knew he couldn't take much more. He surrendered as he felt the point of no return, relishing the sweet relief as he gave her his all, gasping and grunting.

He pulled her into his arms, still kneeling. Her body still trembling and shuddering as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him tight.

"I think we found our rhythm." he whispered with a smile and kissed the side of her head, still breathless. She whimpered in response. "You okay?" he asked and stroked her hair out of her face and she merely whimpered again. "Is this what they mean when they say 'I screwed her brains out'?" He laughed as she nodded and buried her face in his shoulder. He lowered her to the bed and lay beside her, pulling a blanket over her sweaty form to protect her from getting a chill and held her until he fell asleep.

She woke him with a kiss. "Good morning." he whispered with a smile and cupped her cheek in his hand.

"What would you like for breakfast?" she asked with a wolfish grin.

"Are you on the menu?" he replied and kissed her, knowing he probably had morning breath and a stubbly face but she never seemed to mind.

"I'll have to ask the chef if he'll do boobs over easy." she replied and clutched his hand to her breast as she moved astride him.

" _Engineering to Commander Barclay_." He swore and reached for his communicator on the bedside cabinet.

"Barclay here." he replied and gave Taryn a chiding glance as she pressed soft kisses to his neck and shoulder and he gently stroked her hair.

" _We have a problem with one of the port warp coils sir, it's gone out of alignment._ "

"Have you notified the Bridge?" he asked as he reached up and felt the bulkhead over the bed. It was pulsing with an unfamiliar rhythm, there was definitely a problem. He fought the urge to sigh as she flicked her tongue around his nipple.

" _I was about to sir._ "

"Tell them we need to drop out of warp while we check it out. Shut off the plasma flow and engage the cooling system. I'll be there in ten minutes…make that twenty." he added as Taryn looked up and met his gaze. "Barclay out." He gave her a glare. "You are a minx and a half, do you know that?" he said as he grasped her wrist, stood up and pulled her into the bathroom with him.

 _Author's Note:_

 _Cry is by Godley and Creme. Reg's comment about a horse in a human suit is from the series Black Books._

 _As always any and all comments are welcome._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Did we pass through any spatial anomalies?" Reg asked as he peered at the Warp Coil from the catwalk in the port nacelle. "Any resonance fields or gravitic distortions?"

"Sensors registered nothing." Ashby replied and handed him a padd.

"Something must have caused it. Warp coils don't just jump thirty microns out of alignment for no reason." Reg argued as he read the report.

"Well, there doesn't seem to be a reason sir." the blond Ensign stated.

"What is the situation?" Data asked as he joined them.

"It's nothing we can't fix sir, but the investigation into why it happened will remain ongoing for now." Reg stated. "It'll take around four hours to re-seat the coil and get the nacelle back online."

"Very good Commander." Data replied. "I will inform the Captain."

"Hey Reg." Geordi stated as he also appeared, passing Data who nodded on his way out. "Don't worry, I'm not here to step on your turf. I'm just intrigued by this mystery."

"Aren't we all Commander?" Barclay stated as he scanned the coil and it's housing with a tricorder. "Every reading is nominal but something jolted this coil off true." He paused to pass the First Officer the padd of readings and he examined it carefully. "What it was I have no idea yet, but I'll get to the bottom of it."

"Well, keep up the good work and if I think of anything I'll let you know." Geordi smiled and handed the padd to Ashby who walked away. "So, how are…things?"

"Things?" Reg asked innocently.

"Aw c'mon Reg, it's all over the ship that you haven't been in your quarters for the last week."

"I've been there, I had to feed Zimmerman." Reg stated. "And change my uniform…" he smirked.

"So, is it serious?" Geordi grinned.

"Well, I got covered in grease so…" Reg snorted. "Yes, it's serious. She's…amazing."

"I'm happy for you man." Geordi grinned. "Let me know when you need a best man."

Reg frowned as Geordi left the catwalk. He hadn't considered marriage. It's not like it worked out great for his parents. He was in the middle of a nightmare custody battle from the age of four when his father threw his mother out over an argument about a teddy bear. He loved her, he was more than happy to make a commitment and there were certainly advantages to being married in Starfleet. They could actually live together in decent sized quarters. Of course he'd have to introduce her to his cat, he didn't even know if she liked cats. He vaguely recalled her saying she could ride, horses he reminded himself with a brief smile, that was something they had in common at least aside from mind-blowing sex which had certainly improved from the baseline he set during their first time. Not that it could get much worse unless he failed to get it up at all. He could talk to her and she seemed to find him interesting, maybe he should think about popping the question.

He'd have to do it right though. She didn't seem the sort of girl you could just propose to in the middle of making love or just on the spur of the moment while they were doing something else. He'd need a ring and he'd have to go down on one knee, maybe write a little speech. He'd have to wait a while; they'd only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks. Only an idiot would propose to a woman he'd only just started dating.

…

"Data, I need to speak to you?" Guinan asked. "Something isn't right here. People that should be here aren't and…"

"I know. I recall the other timeline." Data stated plainly as he looked up from his padd.

"You do?" she asked with her eyes wide.

"Yes, as does Geordi. A temporal Agent named Andrews brought us here."

"I don't trust that guy Andrews." Guinan stated.

"Nor do we." Geordi said as he joined them at the table. "But, right now he's all we've got."

"Let me know if there's anything you need. We'll talk more later." Guinan told them and returned to her work.

Geordi smiled as he saw Taryn and Reg eating lunch together. "They look happy. Seems Andrews was right about something at least."

"I am still uncertain as to how we are to maneuver him into requesting a transfer to Earth, much less encouraging him to assume a teaching career." Data commented. "However I researched the painting as you suggested and I found it." Data told him.

"Where?"

"It is at the bottom of the North Sea on a sunken German U-boat." Data replied. "It could be as simple as it being put in one packing crate and not another during the Second World War."

"So it was never presented to Captain Barclay and passed down the family." Geordi realised. "Well, that explains him not recognising her from it but he's smitten with her anyway. She nurtured his confidence in the other timeline. Perhaps she'll do the same in this? Besides, it's nice to see them get together without all the angst and the drama, not to mention the blood and the spew. They deserve happiness." Geordi stated.

"Where'd you go?" Taryn asked with a smile and took his hand as they ate lunch together.

"Sorry?" Reg frowned. "Oh, I was thinking about the Warp Coil, it just…doesn't make sense."

"Could it have been an astronomical anomaly of some kind that caused it?" she suggested.

"No we looked for that." He smiled at her, "you should have been an engineer."

"I have no regrets about my career choice. Besides, it would be weird sleeping with my boss." She smirked at him and ate another forkful of pasta.

"How was your morning?" he asked.

"I tried out that parkour program you told me about. It was really good but I bruised my bum on a wall. More correctly falling off a wall." she admitted.

"You need to be more careful." he frowned. "I was thinking we could go riding tomorrow if your behind isn't too sore. It's not like we get the same day off that often."

" _Sickbay to Lieutenant Prior_."

"Go ahead?" Taryn replied.

" _One of the patients you examined yesterday is experiencing complications_."

"On my way." She stood and kissed him, "I might not be back to my quarters till really late if it's who I think it is."

"Come to mine then," he suggested, "whenever you're done."

"Okay." She smiled and left at a run.

…

"What time is it?" he asked as she sat on the side of his bed.

"It's 0434, I wasn't going to come but…" She sniffed and reached out to pet the Persian cat next to Reg on the bed. "I…I'm sorry." she sobbed and moved to get up.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he shuffled over and pulled her into his arms.

"I had a bad day." she wiped her face on her hand. "Maybe I should go to my own quarters and let you sleep."

"Did you lose a patient?" Reg whispered, stroking her hair.

"No." she replied, "She was pregnant, I lost two." She broke into wracking sobs. "Nothing I did worked, she fought for hours. They both did. I should have saved them." she blurted.

"You did all you could." he whispered into her ear as he held her against him.

"I should have done more." she wailed.

"Listen," he grasped her head and turned it to face him. "I know you, if you couldn't save them they couldn't be saved." He kissed her forehead tenderly.

Her sobbing calmed a little, but her breath still hitched in her chest. "I know I said I was happy with my career choice, and I am. But sometimes I think, I feel like I took a wrong turn somewhere. That there's a path I should be on and I'm not."

"I think everyone has regrets about the road not taken." Reg stated.

"No it's more than that. I know I make a difference as a doctor." She swallowed and sniffed, "But, well there's Data. He should be the First Officer. Starfleet shouldn't have ordered the Captain to pass him over, it's wrong. We need to broaden our definition of life to include the inorganic."

"That's a noble ideal, but it's just not realistic." Reg stated. "Not with the way things are."

"Who's your furry friend?" she asked softly as Reg's cat sniffed her arm and licked her with his sandpaper tongue.

"He's Zimmerman, named after Lewis Zimmerman…"

"The father of holography. I gave an opinion on his case, not that it made any difference to the outcome. Another of my spectacular failures." She smiled a sad smile as she stroked the cats long fur. "I was actually talking to the cat."

"Very funny." he said sarcastically.

"This cat is why someone needs to stand up for artificial life. You named him after a man who created beings from light and energy. Beings with the potential to be alive and yet Starfleet decided to limit their programming by law. Cripple their intellect. If they did that to a biological infant it would be considered a horrific crime."

"You're preaching to the choir here." Reg stated. "Let's resign our commissions, find a planet somewhere away from Federation rules and you can build androids, I'll write holograms and in between we'll rut like animals and eat chow mein off each other's naked bodies."

"Don't joke like that, on days like today I may take you up on it." she said sadly.

"Oh God, it wasn't Ensign Carey was it?" he asked, remembering one of his team was on maternity leave.

"No it was one of the refugees, a fourteen-year-old girl and her half Cardassian baby." Taryn stated and he blanched. "They both had every disadvantage, she was too young, too stressed out for a Bajoran to deliver. The baby looked more like a prem than full term because the mother was so malnourished. The mother haemorrhaged, she bled out so quickly I did an emergency C-Section to save her baby girl but... She threw up everything we tried to feed her, aspirated some, we treated that and her kidneys failed…everything that could have gone wrong did."

"It's harsh but…"

"Don't you dare say it was for the best. She was a baby with a whole life ahead of her. Just because she'd have a rough time growing up the product of a rape doesn't justify depriving her of that opportunity." Taryn argued.

"You're right." he conceded. "If we adopted a baby under those circumstances we'd love it just the same as our own, whatever it's species or history."

"So you want kids?" she asked.

"Don't you?" he replied. "Although I doubt I'd be much of a Dad. I'd be worrying all the time and hysterical probably. You'd be an amazing Mom. I'd love to raise kids with you."

"We wouldn't necessarily have to adopt. I have problems conceiving but there's no reason why I couldn't be pregnant or deliver a child. I do have ova, we'd just need help getting there." She looked at him earnestly. "Tell me we're not talking about having a baby together?"

"I think we are." he smiled.

"I'd better go, I'm not really in a good place to discuss this right now. All broody and upset."

"Are you still off duty tom…well today now?"

"Yes, but I'd like to stop in to Sickbay after Dr Crusher's finished the…autopsies."

"Come to bed and get some sleep." Reg told her, "I'd rather share my bed with you than Zimmerman."

"That's a relief, he was a brilliant man but he was an arsehole."

"I meant the cat." Reg stated as she stripped to her underwear and crawled under the covers.

"I was forgetting, you like girls, Human, Humanoid girls, real girls." she teased as she snuggled against his shoulder. "Your pyjamas are nice, really soft." she said as she stroked his chest.

"Thank you." he replied.

"I didn't know you wore pyjamas." she whispered.

"You never gave me a chance to put any on."

"Valid point." she replied. "I usually sleep in the nude."

"You would." He kissed her forehead softly as Zimmerman settled on his stomach to sleep.

…

"Are those zebras I hear behind us?" Barclay laughed as they rode together on the holodeck.

"Well, what's your explanation?" Taryn asked.

"It's a coincidence." Reg replied.

"The same coil randomly shifts by thirty microns twice, thirty hours apart."

"I'll admit it's unusual..."

"And you've ruled out all the possible environmental and technical causes…."

"Yes, but…"

"Even doctors have to investigate zebras once they've ruled out horses as the source of the hoof-beats." she reasoned.

He shook his head. She had to be wrong. It just wasn't possible. It was too far-fetched, unheard of.

…

"So am I to understand this is the same coil that was misaligned yesterday and the day before?" Picard asked with his arm across his chest and the other hand pressed to his lips thoughtfully. "By thirty microns."

"Yes sir." Reg stated, standing on the Bridge beside the Science station.

"And precisely thirty hours later it shifts from alignment again…"

By exactly thirty microns sir." Reg added. "It's also the thirtieth coil if you count them clockwise from the front of the ship."

"And you've yet to find a cause?"

"No sir… I…I mean yes sir. We can't find a reason for it. Taryn, I mean Dr Prior, she…"

Data turned in his seat at the Science console and looked at Barclay with interest. "Yes Commander, did she have a suggestion?"

"She wondered if…well clearly there's some kind of intelligence in what's happening, it's too much to be a coincidence and…she thinks…"

"Mr Barclay, please get to the point?" Picard asked tiredly.

"She believes the ship is showing signs of sentience." Reg admitted.

"Dr Prior does hold an advanced degree in Cybernetics and AI sir." Data stated. "We currently have no other viable theory."

"Very well. Perhaps you both could liaise with her and see if you can come up with a test of some sort." Captain Picard intoned, "Ascertain whether her theory holds water."

"Aye sir." Data replied as the Captain headed for his ready room.

"Sir, Dr Prior…I mean, we're involved…I don't know if…I mean. Is it a good idea for us to work together?" Reg asked Data desperately.

"Do you doubt her professionalism? Your own?" Data asked.

"No sir." Reg replied with a frown.

"Then you have answered your own question." Data stated.

…

"If there is a burgeoning intelligence at work, what is it trying to tell us?" Taryn posed as a question for discussion as they sat in the computer core chamber pouring through readouts looking for anomalies in recent processes.

"Perhaps it is just trying to make us aware of its presence." Data suggested.

"If it just wanted our attention there are better ways, more obvious ways to get it." Taryn replied. "Life support or messing with non-essential systems. It could even put up a big 'hello' on the Bridge viewscreen."

"It keeps making us stop," Reg commented. "or at least drop out of warp."

"What effect does that actually have?" Taryn asked.

"It alters the estimated time of arrival at our destination." Data replied.

"We're carrying refugees, not time sensitive cargo." Reg argued. "We're turning and burning but it's more like a trade route than a convoy. All the available ships in the fleet are helping evacuate Bajor. It's top priority and everything else is on hold."

"I'm not a psychologist, but surely any being, for want of a better word, has a limited number of motivations. Things it needs to do to survive and procreate, things it does simply from instinct or reflex and…things it does for pleasure in some cases. Whether the actions are benign or malevolent surely depends on your viewpoint. A mouse sees a cat as malevolent when it's being hunted but it's really instinct and survival on the cat's part. Bees pollinating plant life is seen as benign but again it's a byproduct of them foraging for what they need to survive." Taryn stated.

"And your point is?" Reg asked.

"Either it wants us to disengage warp drive to protect itself or because it thinks it's amusing." Taryn argued.

"Why would disengag…" Reg stopped as he completed the thought in his head. He tapped his communicator. "Barclay to Main Engineering."

" _Ashby here sir._ "

"Take the Warp Drive offline immediately. I repeat, take the Warp Drive offline. I need you to start a level one diagnost…" Reg's eyes widened as there was an explosion followed by a scream before the com channel closed. The three of them left at a run towards Engineering immediately.

Dan looked pale and shocked, his uniform covered in green blood as they entered the room. "I'm sorry, I was too late." he wept as they entered to find the blast door down. "Vorat was standing next to the core and... he was…" Reg took his elbow and encouraged the young officer to sit on the floor before he fell down, although he appeared uninjured. He went over to the terminal to check the status of the core as Geordi arrived on the scene.

"Oh God…" Reg whispered as he looked through the clear panel and saw people, people he recognized, his people in a twisted tableau like a something from a chamber of horrors. Bile rose in his throat and he turned away.

"What do you need?" Geordi asked him in deference to his recent promotion.

" _Bleach, for my eyes and memory please?_ " he replied in his mind wishing he could unsee the horrific scene by the Warp Core. Er…"We're in no danger now, the safeties kicked in and shut it down."

"How many are still in the compartment?" Data asked as Taryn began to triage the wounded who were the majority of people in the room. He ran to a terminal to scan for lifesigns and liaise with the transporter room on getting no response in the chaos.

"Can someone get me an emergency medkit? Anyone?" Taryn shouted over the din as she felt the pulse of an officer lying face down on the floor near the blast door. Reg grabbed one from a locker and ran over to her but froze as he realized the young woman, Ensign Renner, wasn't lying next to the emergency bulkhead, it had crushed her at the waist. Taryn snatched the kit from him and opened it, rapidly setting up and giving the woman a hypospray.

"I'm cold." the fair haired woman whispered and Reg blanched as he realized she was conscious.

"What's her name?" Taryn asked him softly.

"Renner, Maggie Renner." he replied. "Can you help her?" She looked up at him and shook her head as Dr Crusher arrived with another larger medkit and a full medical team.

"Maggie, I'm going to give you something to make you more comfortable." Taryn told her and gave another shot.

"I'm okay, I just need to get up." Maggie replied.

"Try and keep still for me." Taryn told the young woman as she held her hand and stroked her hair to comfort her. "Everything's okay." she whispered.

The girl turned and looked up at Reg. "I think the articulation frame blew sir."

"Don't worry about that, you just take care of yourself." Reg told her as he knelt beside her and took her other hand.

"What should we do doctor?" Data asked Dr Cusher as the rest of the injured were helped to Sickbay.

"There's nothing we can do. The door is all that's keeping her alive. If we open it or beam her out she'll bleed out internally in seconds. We just have to keep her comfortable while she's still with us."

…

"I should have shut it down instead of cutting plasma to the coils." Reg stated as he lifted his drink with a shaking hand.

"That would have contravened standard operating procedure and caused a shortfall in ships power." Data stated. "You were not at fault.

"Not at fault? Half my team are injured and seven are dead, who else is responsible?" Barclay asked.

"This isn't the first accident we've had in Engineering and it won't be the last." Geordi stated. "It comes with the job. You know that."

"I didn't take her seriously. I thought she was…I don't know what I thought other than rights for AI is her hobbyhorse and she was just trying to make a point. I should have listened to her." he drained his glass and refilled it from the bottle on his coffee table.

"Reg, I'm not sure drinking a bottle of scotch is going to make things better." Geordi argued.

"I beg to differ." Reg stated taking a swig. "I just watched a…a kid just out of the Academy die slowly from being cut in half, saw the body of an engineer who happened to be standing in the wrong place and got ripped to shreds by a shattered dilithium crystal and five more who were half dissolved in plasma coolant. The least I can do is give them a wake even if I'm doing it all by myself." The door beeped. "What?" Reg bellowed in the direction of the door.

Dan shambled in and handed Reg a padd. "It'll be another seventy-two hours till we get access to the warp core compartment, in the meantime I sent Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee in to start making the area safe." Reg didn't approve of the nickname the ship's two holographic engineers had been given, but he could see why it had stuck. "That's the full damage report sir. The repairs we can do are all underway." Reg looked at it briefly and lobbed it onto the coffee table beside the bottle. "Can I have some of that?"

"Sure." Reg pushed an empty glass towards him and poured him some. The blond Ensign downed it in one and Reg filled it again and topped up his own glass. "To fallen comrades." he toasted and drained the glass. "Sit down Ensign."

"I don't know how your woman handles it." Dan stated as he slumped into a chair. "The blood and the death…being part Vulcan helps I suppose."

"Not really. She doesn't control her emotions like a Vulcan, she just deals with it later." Reg replied offering Geordi a drink which he once again refused. "She holds it together at the time because she has to. Cluros she calls it, it's an Orion thing… or a Vulcan one…" he frowned as he tried to remember then gave up. "She told me she sometimes feels she missed a higher calling. That she should be fighting for the rights and moving the boundaries of inorganic life or something, she put it better." Data and Geordi exchanged worried glances. "That's why I thought she was nuts when she suggested the ship was trying to communicate with us yesterday. I thought she was justifying a pet theory." He took another drink and poured another in his glass and Dan's. "She deserved better and if I'd listened seven people would still be alive."

"I also considered the possibility and said nothing." Data added. "I was waiting for further evidence to support the theory."

"But a sentient ship? How is that possible?" Dan asked.

"We've been pushing the limits of computer science for centuries, making them faster, more responsive, more personable. We even introduced bio mimetic gel to mimic neural activity. You could argue, and Taryn does, at length to anyone who'll listen that a step to sentient starships is inevitable." Reg explained. "Of course Starfleet consider that heresy."

"I think heresy is a little strong." Dan defended. "No one's getting burned at the stake."

"I don't think it's too strong." Geordi stated.

"Nor do I" Data agreed.

"If Data's legal status was enshrined in law he'd be First Officer." Geordi argued, knowing that he would be for a fact.

"Starfleet has an almost morbid fear of artificial and inorganic life because they just don't understand it, and what little they do they want to wield as a weapon. The last thing they want is a redefinition of life and personhood. It doesn't fit their agenda so they don't accept it's happening." Reg argued. "That's the worst part, I agree with her point for point and I still didn't listen." He clenched his jaw and looked at the now empty bottle. "I'm not drunk enough, I need more booze." he stated and walked to the replicator. Taryn entered his quarters and stood at his side looking up at him. "I don't need a lecture about the dangers of drink." he told her as he took the bottle from the food slot.

"You won't get one from me." she stated. "In fact I'll join you."

"Another glass." Reg asked the replicator.

"No, I'll have a synthetic mojito please?" Taryn asked the device. "I don't like scotch." she told Reg as an aside.

"I thought you were going to have a proper drink." Reg chided.

"Make it a double?" she added. "The only real alcohol I drink is champagne, and I don't get drunk on it." she explained.

"You won't get drunk on synthehol either." he told her as they walked to the table and she smirked.

"I thought you were a lucky son of a bitch to get in the pants of a Green Woman Boss and she's a cheap date too?"

Reg smiled as he gazed at the face of the petite doctor sat on his knee downing her third synthetic drink. "You want another one?" he asked as she giggled and ran a lazy finger around his rank insignia, and gazed into his eyes.

"Another what?" she asked earnestly.

"Another drink…" he suggested and she silenced him with a torrid, frantic kiss.

"Yes, I'd love another drink." she whispered and began kissing softly along his jawline.

"If you guys are gonna start necking I need another bottle." Dan moaned and headed for the replicator. "What can I get you sirs?" he asked Data and Geordi.

"You know, I'll come with you." Geordi stated. "I need a real drink too but I'm not in the mood for scotch." he said and followed him.

"I really should have listened to you." Reg told her earnestly but a little glassy-eyed, sweeping her bobbed hair behind her ear affectionately. "It looks like you were right."

"It sounded a load of bollocks, I don't blame you for being cleptical…" she belched loudly and shot her hand to her mouth before giggling.

"I believe you mean skeptical." Data stated.

"I shouldn't have been cleptical," Reg replied, "you're so clever and… beautiful…" he kissed her neck.

"I could get you drunk too." she told Data pointing at him but missing. "It would just take a teensy bit of programming…" she picked up the padd from the table and began tapping into it. "I could even give you an orgasm."

"I'd rather you didn't." Reg frowned.

"Not perso…not like that." she told him. "A friend of mine did a study on humanoid sexual response…he's like…Masters and Johnson but less ethical about his research. A cut price Dr Mizan. Anyway he has all this data on physical response…I could make you come like a Klingon if I wanted. I'd just need to write an em...ulsification program."

"Do you mean an emulation program?" Data asked, interested in what she was suggesting.

"It's true, she made me come like a Klingon last night." Reg laughed.

"Shouting qapla' at the crucial moment isn't exactly what I mean." she joked. "At least you didn't come on a Klingon, they don't like it in their hair." Taryn laughed and handed Data the padd, leaning on his shoulder as she became helpless with laughter. He read the program she had written with interest. It used his own knowledge of the effects of intoxication and accessed his sensory and behavioral algorithms. He was surprised he hadn't thought of it himself. He opened a file to contain it, debugged it and was surprised to find only two errors and parsed it. As soon as he executed the file a smile spread over his face and he felt a warm sensation in his face and a not unpleasant buzz. It was very similar to the polywater intoxication he had experienced shortly after joining the Enterprise. "No seriously, I had a patient a few years ago. His Klingon mate had been watching Human porn and wanted him to spunk on her tits. Of course he flicked it everywhere like a fucking idiot and she went apeshit because it was in her hair. Broke nearly every bone in his body." Data giggled at her anecdote and she smiled, realizing he'd run her program.

"Is it true what they say about people…with objects… inserted?" Reg asked nervously.

"I removed a gravitic caliper from a blokes arse once. He said he was working and fell on it."

"Working naked?" Data asked.

"Apparently so." she replied with an arched brow, "Oh and some idiot tried to use the collar from an antimatter injector as a cock-ring. It turned so blue you'd think he was Bolian. We had to split it with a plasma cutter to get it off."

"Shit." Reg winced and adjusted his groin nervously.

"A colleague of mine claimed he knew someone who delivered a million baby Krellian lobsters from a woman who'd used one as a dildo but I suspect it's an urban myth."

"We got tequila!" Dan grinned as he shimmied over to them and took his seat clutching a bottle with another under his arm and a cluster of shot glasses. "And synthetic tequila for our green lady." Geordi appeared with limes and salt behind him.

"Thank you." she smiled sweetly at the Ensign.

"No sweat baby." he replied

"I've never drunk tequila." Reg commented.

"I know what to do, my brother loves tequila." Taryn stated.

"Which one?" Reg asked. The rugby player, the bank robber, the nerd, the cellist, or the cadet?"

"Actually all of them now I think about it." she replied.

"You have five brothers?" Dan said incredulously.

"And two sisters, another cadet and a high school student." Reg replied.

"Are they green too?" Dan asked with interest.

"I'm the only one with coralfluff…" Taryn frowned.

"Chlorophyll?" Geordi suggested.

"Yes, that's it." Taryn pointed at him. "Lick my neck." she ordered Reg.

"Certainly." he whispered and happily complied.

She giggled at the sensation. "Okay, you lick the salt, drink the shot and suck on the lime." she explained.

"That sounds easy. Oh…" he gasped as she sprinkled salt on her neck and he sucked at it hungrily.

"The shot?" she reminded him.

"Oh yes..." He smiled and knocked it back then looked around for the lime wedge grimacing. She was holding it between her teeth.

"If your brothers taught you that you're from one weird family." Dan stated as he sprinkled salt on his hand and watched his senior officer sucking face passionately opposite.

"No, I learned that trick from an old Earth situation comedy." she replied after their lips parted.

"I love tequila." Reg told her softly and poured another shot.

"I thought you would." she replied and nibbled at his earlobe with her arms around his neck.

"I'm gonna call Laraby, see if she's off duty." Dan frowned.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Geordi asked.

"No, we're just fuckbuddies." he replied and left the table.

"Did you ever have a fuckbuddy?" Data asked Geordi.

"I'm not even sure what that is." Geordi replied and sucked salt from his hand and drank his shot.

"It's a friend you have casual sex with." Taryn explained.

"I'd have liked one of those when I was his age." Reg said wistfully.

"Me too." Geordi replied.

"I may have had one, she was certainly a friend but it only happened once." Data frowned.

"That doesn't count." Taryn replied, "It has to be at least a semi-regular thing." The three men all stared at her. "Are we playing 'I never' now?" she asked with a giggle, licked salt from Reg's neck and took her shot then sucked on the lime wedge in a sensual way as he watched intently.

"If I am interpreting the rules of that particular game correctly, that means she has indeed had a fuckbuddy." Data stated with a slight quirk of his lip.

Reg looked at her with a hurt expression. "He was rubbish compared to you." she stated and kissed his nose softly. "Okay, my turn. I've never given a woman oral sex." she looked at the trio expectantly and smirked as they all downed their shots.

"I have never given a man oral sex." Data stated when he took his turn.

"That's very interesting." Taryn replied as she drank her shot. "Are you programmed to be heserotexual?" she said as she applied salt to Reg's neck again and he did to hers in readiness. Geordi laughed at her spoonerism.

"No." He replied. "I simply am. Although others have been the initiators in all my romantic liaisons so far." he admitted. "Perhaps my being modelled on my creator who preferred women is a factor. It is your turn Geordi."

"So I say something I've never done and if you guys did it you take a drink?" Geordi confirmed. "Does it have to be a sex thing?"

"No." Taryn replied. "But it's more fun if it is." she grinned.

"I've never made out with a Bridge Officer." Geordi replied and Taryn and Data both did a shot. "Interesting…" Geordi said as he looked at his friend of many years.

"I am not saying who it was." Data told him.

"I can guess." Geordi grinned.

"She's busy. Apparently she'd rather get her toenails clipped than drink with us." Dan said moodily.

"It's called a pedicure, and it's a serious matter." Taryn advised him. "I can't even get an appointment."

"Why not?" Reg asked.

"The bitch in charge of appointments at the parlour wanted to be Tanya." she pouted. "She's like…a…a….bitch, she tells everyone she doesn't like there are no appointments and cancels them if you book through the computer."

"I'll book one in my name and you can turn up for it." Reg told her.

"You'd book a pedicure?" Dan asked.

"Why not? Foot care is very important. It's in the Officer's Handbook." Reg argued. "Besides it's for her not me."

"Officer's Handbook?" Dan said incredulously. "From when? 1916? Does it mention trench foot?"

"It is in the Officers Handbook." Taryn stated.

"Page 184, paragraph 2." Data informed him. "And while it does not contain information on trench foot it does advise on foot care in water logged environments."

"Where were we in the game?" Geordi grinned.

"Your turn." Taryn told Reg.

He sighed. "I never…shaved my balls."

"Oh we're playing that are we?" Dan grinned.

"I don't have balls." Taryn protested, then laughed as Dan and Geordi were drinking.

"I do not have hair on my balls." Data giggled.

"That's more than I needed to know dude." Dan stated. "So have you shaved your pussy?" he gave her a lecherous look with his brow raised.

"Watch your mouth Ashby!" Reg shouted angrily and Taryn calmed him with a hand on his chest.

"Does waxing count?" Taryn asked. Dan nodded and she licked the salt from Reg's neck before drinking her shot. "Not for a while though. I can't get an appointment for that either."

"Reg, you could book in to get your bikini line done as a placeholder?" Geordi teased.

"That's a bad idea. They'd have to replicate so much extra wax beforehand no one would get in the door." Dan grinned. "Okay," Dan frowned thoughtfully. "Let me see, what haven't I done?"

"We may be here some time." Geordi joked.

"I've never had sex with a hologram." Dan stated eventually.

"Oh that's just hysterical Dan." Reg complained.

"What?" he asked incredulously.

"No one will ever let it rest, will they? Who told you?"

"Oh my God, you…" Dan stifled a laugh. "Oh Reg I didn't know."

"Yeah right." Reg said as he noticed Taryn was sprinkling salt on her tongue. At least he was going to enjoy the shot. "Hold on. You told me you fell in love on a holodeck once?" Reg asked Geordi with a scowl.

"Yeah, but I didn't bone her." Geordi replied. "It wasn't like that. It was…romantic."

Taryn turned Reg's scowling face to hers and waggled her salt covered tongue at him. "Oh sorry." he replied and delicately licked off the salt before downing his shot and grabbing the lime.

"I've never done a strip tease for anyone." Taryn stated.

"Kivas Fajo asked me to wear a special outfit." Data suggested hopefully.

"That's…disturbing but not really a strip tease Data." Geordi commented.

"Really, you've never…" Reg asked her and she shook her head. "Would you?" he whispered.

"What? Now?" she asked with a frown.

"God no, not now." he cast his eyes around. "Later? Just for me?"

"If you like." she smiled.

"I have never played hop scotch." Data stated and everyone took a drink.

"I never bought a Horgon." Geordi stated and only Dan took a drink, they all appraised him with arched brows.

"What? I was on vacation." he defended. "I never…no I did that…" Dan mused. "Um…I never mated with a Klingon." They all sat exchanging glances.

"Okay, I was never breast fed." Reg stated. Taryn, Geordi and Dan all took drinks but Data abstained.

"I've never been beaten at arm wrestling." Taryn stated.

"No way." Dan argued. "You're like… really tiny. Someone must have beaten you at least once. Back me up Reg."

"I'm not disagreeing with her, I know how strong she is." Reg stated with a smirk.

"Was that a challenge Dan?" Geordi asked.

"Yeah," the young officer replied with a scowl. "Okay, it was." He stood up and walked towards the dining table in Reg's living room

"Do you mind?" Taryn asked Reg and he released his grip on her waist to let her stand. She walked over, sat down and grasped his thumb with her much smaller hand.

"Okay, take the strain. Go." Geordi stated as the others stood around the table. Taryn's face showed strain as he slowly pressed her hand towards the table with considerable effort. Suddenly she smirked and pushed back, driving his hand to the table's surface.

"Holy crap." Dan exclaimed. "She toyed with me…."

"And it was my right hand and I'm left handed." she admitted, rubbing it in as she stood up. "Sorry Dan." Reg wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek.

"I'm proud of you." He smiled and squeezed her tight with a growl before picking her up by the elbows and walking back to the couch. He fell backwards on it and she landed giggling on top of him.

"I have never…done a lot of things." Data frowned and looked sad as he returned to his seat. "So many experiences I will never…experience."

"Oh strewth he's gone all maudlin." Taryn stated. "Reset the program." she told him as she struggled to sit with Reg wrestling her and he smiled again. "That's better." she patted his cheek and smiled at him.

"I have never been married." Data stated.

Taryn's face fell. "I don't want to play anymore." she said and climbed off Reg's lap. "I want to dance. Computer, play file Prior Dance Mix 3." She stood up and pulled at Reg's hand. "Dance with me?"

"I'm not drunk enough to dance to that kind of music." he protested.

"Please?" she begged.

"I will dance with you." Data offered. "If you teach me the steps."

"It's not that kind of dancing. You just move to the music." She took his hand and they moved to an open space and she began to gyrate in time to the driving beat. Data shuffled awkwardly opposite her. "Er…okay, let's try something else." she stopped dancing." Computer, Play…. Prior Disco mix. I'll show you some moves and then you'll know how to throw some shapes okay?"

"Throw some shapes?" he looked around, "We do not have any shapes, or a potter's wheel…"

"No not like you throw a pot…Never mind. Like this." She struck a typical disco pose with her finger in the air then switched to the other side three times while wiggling her hips and pointed to the side striking a pose.

"Ah…you make shapes with your body." Data realized and copied her.

"That's it, you're groovin' like Travolta!" she said and did another classic disco move for him to copy.

"Accessing…. Ah John Travolta. 20th and 21st century actor. Known for dancing in his early works." he said as he followed her moves.

"You should watch Saturday Night Fever. It's a classic." she smiled as Dan got up and joined in.

Data stopped dancing suddenly and walked over to the terminal. He sat impassive, his eyes shifting rapidly for a few moments, light flickering on his face. He stood, walked over, and took Taryn in a Tango pose.

"You want to do the Tango Hustle?" she asked with a smile.

Reg smiled as he watched them dance around the room, Taryn laughing as Data swung her around and dipped her. Then his expression changed and he sighed. "I'm too old for her." he said to Geordi. "Maybe I should end it. The longer it goes on the more it'll hurt right?"

"Do you know what the average lifespan of an Orion is?" Geordi asked. "Ninety years."

"Ninety?" Reg paused and chewed his finger. "I'd outlive her if we both live an average lifespan?" He shook his head. She's more likely to age like a Human surely? Or even a Vulcan?"

"It's obvious the age difference doesn't matter to her and let's face it, you're not exactly beating them off with a shitty stick." Geordi said as he drank some tequila. "You'd be an idiot to let her go Reg. She adores you and it's obvious how you feel about her."

"You're not getting maudlin on me too are you?" Taryn asked as she leaned over and kissed Reg softly.

"A little." he admitted as she straddled his lap and put her arms around his neck.

"I'm extremely drunk." she advised him. "I may…exhibit… a lack of self-control."

"No kidding?" he smiled.

"Don't let me do anything silly…" she told him as she grabbed the bottle of synthetic tequila and took a large swig. "I may try to fuck you later, just so we're clear I give consent. I won't bitch later that you took advantage."

"That's useful to know." Red replied as she took another swig. She handed him the bottle and unzipped her uniform, separated the jacket from the jumpsuit and pulled it off awkwardly.

"This isn't the strip tease, don't worry." She shook her head as she unzipped her polo neck and removed that too to reveal a vest top. "I just got hot dancing."

"You are so smashed." he replied with a smile.

"I'm smashed on you." she touched his lips with her finger and tumbled backwards off his lap banging her head on the coffee table.

"Shit, are you okay?" Reg asked desperately as he and Geordi moved to help her.

"I'm okay." she said, struggling to her feet. "I just need another drink." she snatched the bottle and drank some more. "That's much better." She stepped onto the coffee table and pointed at Reg dramatically. _"The minute you walked in the joint…"_

Reg watched wide-eyed and a little horrified as she belted out Big Spender, complete with bump and grind action. Dan and Data ceased their disco dance-off and turned to watch with interest.

"I think she may have had enough." Geordi told him as she moved on to All That Jazz.

"Okay, the show is over. Time to go. No one gets to see this Sheba shimmy shake but me." Reg stated and grabbed her around the waist. "Goodnight." he said as he carried her off to the bedroom still singing. "See yourselves out."

"We could take the party to my quarters?" Data suggested and Geordi and Dan both nodded and followed him.

"Let me look at your head?" Reg asked as he wrestled her onto the bed.

"It's fine. Trust me. I'm a doctor." she said as he looked through her hair. He grabbed a tricorder from his nightstand.

"You've got egg on your head." he told her and took her hand to let her feel the bump. Then he scanned it and showed her the readings.

"It's just a haetamoma." she said. "I'll be fine."

"A what?"

"A hae…a big bruise." she looked at his tricorder and frowned. "I should constipate that. You shouldn't have a tredical micorder. You're a hycopondriac."

"If you remember any of this tomorrow feel free to confiscate it." Reg snorted as he hid it back in the cabinet. She really was an adorable drunk. He was more than a little hammered himself and he sat on the bed beside her watching her struggle to take off her boots. "Here let me?" he offered but she pulled away and stood up.

"I promised you a trip sease and a trip sease… you will get…" she slurred. _"Da-da-da da da-da-da_." Reg giggled as she wobbled about while singing to the tune of The Stripper while moving the bottom of her top from side to side with both hands before pulling it over her head. "Shit, that hurts…" she swore as she caught it on the bump on the back of her head. She resumed singing as she swung it around violently and let go, narrowly missing Reg's eye and taking out the bedside lamp with it. She nearly fell taking off her remaining boot and there was a yowl from Zimmerman as he dodged it when she threw it over her shoulder as she fixed Reg with what was clearly meant to be a sexy stare. "Fuck, sorry Mimmerzan." she said with her hands over her mouth. "Is he okay? Did I hurt him?"

"You just missed him. He's fine, but he looks a little vexed. Come here before someone loses a limb." Reg said taking her in his arms laughing heartily. "God you're wonderful."

"I'm a sterrible ripper aren't I?" she said gazing up at him, her eyes unfocused.

"Yes, but I love you anyway."

"I love you too… Maybe I'll strip for you when I'm a leeettle less smashed." she snuggled against his chest. "You're a wonderful lover you know. I don't just mean the physical stuff…You're gentle and kind. Being with you is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life."

"You really are drunk." he smiled and nuzzled her hair.

"No I mean it. If people realized how sweet you are I'd have competition lining up halfway around the saucer." She held him tighter. "You deserve so much better than me."

He tilted her face to his by the chin. "I get the sweeter deal, believe me." He dipped his head to hers and kissed her. They began to grapple frantically, desperate to touch each other's skin as she tore at his uniform. He lifted her, kissing the soft skin of her neck, her shoulder as he deposited her on the bed. "Wait right there." he told her, "I'll be right back, don't move a muscle." he ordered and disappeared into the bathroom. He emerged moments later having relieved himself and emitted a disappointed sigh. She was face down on the bottom of the bed snoring. She appeared to have passed out half way through removing her trousers, which were by her knees and was still wearing her bra and panties.

"Typical." Reg tutted. He pulled off her trousers, pulled back the covers and dragged her up the bed. Then stripped to his underwear, tucked in behind her and pulled the covers over them both. Part of him, the part between his legs, hoped she would wake up while he was putting her to bed. He was definitely in the mood for some drunken debauchery but apparently it was not to be.

" _I will tell him,_ " she murmured in Low Orion. " _I don't want to hurt him, but he has to know..._ "

He shook his head and sniggered, she was speaking Orion in her sleep again. Another of her quirks that he found adorable. One of these days he'd fire up the Universal Translator and find out what she was talking about. She made an anguished noise and stirred.

"It's okay." he whispered as he stroked her hair and tenderly kissed her shoulder. "It's just a bad dream." Her breathing settled and he held her close, breathing in her scent as he drifted off to sleep.

 _Author's Note:_

 _I do not own Saturday Night Fever, or The Big Bang Theory where Taryn learned her Tequila trick._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Oh boy that feels good." He moaned as he was torn from his sleep. She was writhing naked on top of him, chanting in Orion. With a heady mixture of horror and intense pleasure he realized she was still asleep and they were making love. "Taryn?" he reached up and cupped her cheek. "Taryn, wake up Sweetie." She gazed at him earnestly, took his hand and sucked slowly on his finger, then whispered in Orion again before she returned to chanting as she pumped up and down. "Computer, activate the Universal Translator." he grunted.

" _Yes, sex yes. I'm approaching the summit. Sex my love hole you sexing male_ _equine_ _used for breeding purposes. Sex me. Fill my_ _feline companion animal_ _with your seed_." The computer translated in a cold, dispassionate voice.

Reg sneered, clearly something was lost in translation and he suspected the computer was replacing the expletives. Either way it wasn't exactly doing much for him.

" _You are driving me to the summit with your velvet spear, sex me with your beautiful male domesticated fowl."_ the flat tone of the computer continued in bizarre counterpoint to her rapid bouncing and the passionate lyrical tone of her voice.

In fact, it was beginning to put him right off. It reminded him of Data's poetry and he briefly wondered if he'd ever tried to write erotic fiction. "Er Computer…."

" _I need to summit, I'm so close to the summit…. Sex I'm cresting, oh sex I'm cresting hard…"_ She was indeed cresting hard as she gave a plaintive wail, her body shaking until she collapsed on top of him, kissing him desperately. She rolled over, pulling him on top and grasped his buttocks. " _Give me your love juice, only your sacred water can extinguish the fire in my love hole._ _Plunge my feline companion animal_ _till your male domesticated fowl bursts with excitement. Take me to the summit again?_ " she pleaded, her face filled with desperate yearning.

He complied, overwhelmed with lust for his beautiful Green Woman.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Taryn glared at him with a horrified expression.

"I'm sexing your feline companion animal with my male domesticated fowl?" he ventured nervously.

"What?" she sneered.

"Do you mind if I just get to the summit and crest?" he pleaded desperately.

"Get off me!" she shrieked, pushing him away. "Christ Almighty I was asleep Reg. How could you?" she pulled the sheet over herself protectively.

"How could I? I woke up with you riding my dick and talking dirty in Orion!"

"I don't talk dirty." she protested. "I never talk dirty."

"Well obviously you do in your sleep. Do you want me to play back the translation?" She shook her head. "I tried to calling your name and waking you up, but…" he looked guilty. "I'm not a machine you know." He pulled the other side of the sheet over his chest looking hurt.

"Did I really start it?" her lower lip quivered.

"I had a raging horn when I got into bed. I may have prodded you in the back with it while I was asleep." he speculated. "But you really did wake me up riding me like a cowgirl."

"So now I'm sleephumping?" she bit her lower lip. "Oh God, I'm going to need to be medicated on Away Teams. The sleepwalking is bad enough. And the night terrors."

"You speak Orion in your sleep most nights."

"What do I say?" she asked, looking worried.

"I don't know, a lot of its mumbling and I never turned on the translator before today. I was worried you might be saying 'stop raping me you monster' although you seemed to be pretty into it." He smirked as he noticed his t-shirt and underwear in the bedclothes. He held them up to show her they were ripped apart.

"Oh Christ." She began to cry and he took her in his arms. "No, you don't understand. I'm not safe on a Starship. I'm going to have to resign my commission. I'll have to leave…"

"Let's not jump the gun. This may have been a tequila fueled one off and the last thing I'm going to do is lodge a complaint." He turned her face up to his. "We're lovers, we're a team now." He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her softly. "If you have to leave the ship, I'm going with you."

"Speaking of tequila fueled…" she cast her eyes at his groin.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem to be going off duty any time soon." Reg smirked. "I usually get the opposite problem when I drink." he admitted reluctantly.

"It's the same problem really. The blood vessels constrict and prevent blood flow. If you're already engorged when it happens… Do you want me to relieve it?"

"Oh God yes." he whispered and pinned her to the bed.

"I meant medically…never mind…" she said as she returned his desperate kisses with ardent fervour.

…

She was lying face down on the bed, her chin propped on her elbow. "You could try and look a little less bored." Reg said as he leant over and kissed her ear. "I'm giving you my all back here."

"You've been giving me your all all night." She looked at the chronometer on his nightstand. "It's eight o'clock! You're supposed to be on duty!"

"Screw duty." he informed her as he carried on thrusting and suddenly stopped. "What happened to your back?"

"What?" she asked.

"I never noticed before but in this light…" he ran his hand over the crisscross pattern of scars on her skin.

"It's nothing, really." she said brightly.

"It doesn't look like nothing." he frowned and kissed her shoulder. "Did someone hurt you?"

"I don't like this position, I can't see your face." she twisted and put her hand on his neck. She kissed him intensely.

"I love sexing your love hole." he whispered. "I think I'm reaching the summit."

"I wish you'd let me in on the joke." she smirked.

"Computer, playback translation files from this location last night." He smiled as he turned her over.

"Oh dear God." she put her hands over her mouth on hearing the recording as he pulled her hips so they were resting on his lap with his knees parted. "I'm guessing the UT it doesn't cope well with idiomatic Low Kolari." she giggled. "You must have the parental controls on too. I clearly meant I wanted you to fuck me with your velvet spear."

"Isn't that what I'm doing?" He was moving slowly, his hands exploring her body.

"I should get you to sickbay. You really shouldn't have a priapism this long." she told him looking worried.

"Are you kidding? This is the best time I've had in my life." he protested.

"You won't be saying that when you permanently lose function, or get gangrene or necrosis."

"Gangrene!?" he said with alarm. "Necrosis!?" He sighed. "I don't think I'm going to crest anyway. You've drained me of all my sacred love water. I'm spent, dehydrated." He flopped beside her on his back dejectedly. He watched as she walked over to the replicator and returned with a hypospray. "Wait, where are you putting that?" he asked looking concerned.

"Your neck." she informed him and pointed to his groin. "Leave it alone and you might not need to have the blood aspirated. I'll update your notes later."

"Okay." he agreed and she curled up next to him and kissed the spot where she'd pressed the hypospray. "Remind me to write to Dr Crusher commending you on your bedside manner." He smiled and sighed deeply. Before long they returned, the thoughts and images he'd pushed away in a haze of sex and booze and he could avoid facing them no longer. They were overwhelming. "Do you always see them after?" he asked softly.

"Who?" she replied with a frown.

"The faces of patients you lose."

"It's haunting you? The things you saw?" she asked and he nodded.

"They tell you at the Academy that losing people is be part of the job, part of the risk you take when you apply. They tell you the fallen are heroes, to be honoured and…" he trailed off, unable to fully articulate what he felt.

"Nothing they say, no training can prepare you for it. Even medical training." she said in a whisper. "I'm not going to lie to you. Some are still with me. But they fade like old scars over time." She took his hand. "Maggie Renner will be with me for a while I think. Not because of how she died, although it was distressing. It was the way she tried to report what she saw to you, her devotion to duty. It touched me."

"She was a good kid. Had a great career ahead of her. She had a great life ahead of her." He wrapped his arm around Taryn and pulled her close as he began to cry. "I sometimes wonder if they're teaching the right things at the Academy."

"What do you mean?" she said as she rubbed his chest.

"Four years and no one told her to roll lengthways under a closing blast door?" he asked desperately. "They taught her how to reconfigure a power grid and tune up a warp core but not the stuff that will keep you alive out here. Stupid things you only think of if you're neurotic." he sobbed into her hair.

"I don't want to relieve you of duty. But promise me you'll see the ship's counsellor?" she whispered. "I know you don't know the new counsellor very well and you're wary, but Kayla's lovely you know. I can support you as your woman. I'm here for you, whatever you need but it's not the same."

"I know." He kissed her forehead. "I'll make an appointment after I've got some sleep. I might actually be able to now I'm less…turgid." He wiped his eyes.

"I'll let Geordi know you're indisposed." she whispered. "I'll check on you later." she said softly and got out of bed.

"Do you have to go?" he asked plaintively.

"I told Beverly I'd start early, today. We're giving the refugees inoculations and genetic scans now everyone is stable. It's all hands to the pump." she explained. "Is it okay if I shower here?"

"Of course, you don't need to ask." he said as he pulled up the bed clothes.

She smiled as she emerged from the bathroom in a clean uniform. He was finally sleeping, fitfully but he was asleep. "Shh, sweet dreams lovely man." She kissed his temple tenderly and stroked his hair until he settled and headed off to work.

"How's your head this morning?" Geordi asked as he caught up with her in the corridor. "Dan and I woke up on Data's floor with hangovers from hell. I don't know what that program you wrote was but Data had one too. I've never seen a guy so thrilled to feel like death warmed up. How's Barclay?"

"He's a different kind of mess. He's not handling the trauma well. He's depressed…I came close to relieving him of duty but he said he'd see Kayla after he gets some sleep. Don't count on him being much use today."

"I was afraid of that, the view of the Warp Core Compartment was horrendous. No one should have had to see that and poor Renner..." Geordi stopped, clearly also traumatized by the events of the day before. "Any more ideas on getting this old girl to talk to you?"

"A few, but I have my doubts on whether we should proceed." she cast her eyes around to check they were alone. "Enterprise may be hiding her light under a bushel for a reason. There have been rumours among my graduating class at Daystrom. I wasn't sure I should take them seriously but if the Enterprise had such an important message to impart why do it in a covert way?"

"It was important all right, if the articulation frame blew at warp we could all be so much dust floating in space right now. The safeties have their limitations." Geordi confirmed. "So what are the rumours?"

"Investigating scientists from Daystrom suddenly pulled off ships with computer malfunctions and self-destruct initiated. Cyberneticists and engineers redeployed at a moment's notice and never heard of again. Specialist equipment built and dispatched to no apparent location." She stopped as a crewman passed them. "Since Haftel was made Commander in Chief there's been a culture of fear at the Daystrom Institute."

Geordi froze and considered her words. If Haftel was the Commander in Chief of Starfleet they were in serious trouble in this timeline. Andrews may consider it viable but no way would Data. "I'll talk to Data and the Captain in private about this. Okay?" He squeezed her upper arm. "And don't worry about Reg. He may wobble from time to time but he'll get through it." She nodded and he watched her walk away.

…

The small Bajoran child ran along the corridor at full pelt but stopped when she saw Reg. "Hello, where's your Mommy?" he said, crouching. She had a mop of dark brown hair that hung in her eyes and was barefoot although her clothes appeared new. Taryn had mentioned some of the refugees had found shoes uncomfortable as they had gone without so long. This girl couldn't be much older than four and may never have worn footwear in her life.

"I don't know where my Mommy is. The Jem'Hadar took her away." the tiny girl told him. "My Daddy too."

"I see." he whispered. "Are you supposed to be in Sickbay? In there," he pointed.

"It's scary, they stab people and you put your finger in this machine and it comes right off." she told him earnestly complete with an accompanying mime.

"Did someone bigger than you tell you that?" The girl nodded. "I think they're playing a joke on you. How about I come along and be your bodyguard? We'll investigate together, okay?"

"Okay." the girl agreed and he picked her up. Sickbay was full of children of various sizes queueing for medical staff. Reg spotted Taryn and headed for her.

"Let's see this green lady, she looks nice don't you think? Not too scary?" he asked the little girl.

"She looks pretty," the small child said, "but she's very green. Like a plant."

Reg laughed. "I think she's pretty too. Her name is Taryn, she's my girlfriend." he told her proudly.

"What's your name?" the little girl asked. "I'm Dora."

"I'm called Reg Barclay. Nice to meet you Dora."

"Hello." Taryn smiled at them both.

"This is Dora. We've come to investigate reports that you're stabbing people and removing their fingers." Reg said earnestly and sat her on the biobed.

"I see. I can see why you might think that, but I promise we aren't. Have you seen anyone with missing fingers today?" The girl paused and shook her head. "I'll tell you what. Let me show you both what we're doing, so you know there's nothing to be worried about." She picked up a tricorder. "This machine shows me what's going on inside you." she scanned her and showed her the readout. "That's your heart beating."

"Really?" the child asked incredulously. "Inside me?"

Taryn nodded and smiled then showed her the hypospray. "This thing, it puts special medicine inside you. Medicine to stop you getting sick. It stings a little bit. You have to be brave but being sick is a lot more horrible."

"It stings?" she asked with a pout.

"Only a little bit. Look?" she pressed a hypo filled with saline to Reg's neck. He guessed they'd had to show a lot of the children there was nothing to be scared of and had saline handy just in case. "And between you and me, he's a wimp about shots." She winked at Reg as the girl allowed her to give her the inoculant. "How was that?"

"Not too bad." Dora replied.

"This part, you put your finger in like this and it tells us all about you. Watch?" she put her own finger in and her spiraling DNA appeared on the screen in a few moments, he noticed hers looked a little unusual, but she was the product of three disparate gene pools after all. "This tells us about your family too. Who you're related to."

"Could this help find my Mommy?" she asked.

"I can't promise that Dora, but if you have any family we'll do everything we can to help you find them." Taryn assured her. "Want to try it?"

The little girl nodded and put her finger in the machine. She watched wide eyed as her DNA helix formed on screen.

"Do you know what your family name is Dora?" Taryn asked as she looked at the other screen.

"No." she replied.

"It's Tian." Taryn stated.

"It is?" she asked.

"Yes, you are Tian Dora, remember that." Taryn smiled and chucked her under the chin. "That's everything done. Here's a special sticker for being such a brave girl and you can have a treat from the jar." she held it for the tiny girl to grab a sweet, the sticker was so they could tell who they'd scanned at a glance and had their full name on it and a locator chip.

"Thank you." Dora smiled. "Thank you for helping me be brave." she told Reg. "I don't think you're a wimp."

"Take care Dora." Reg said as he lifted her down and she followed the other children that had been processed. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. A little malnourished but they all are." Taryn stated. "She's lucky. She has two flags on her DNA. Her parents are alive and looking for her and each other, but in different refugee camps. No one's made the connection yet. I'll send word to them and we should be able to reunite their family."

"Where are all the adults?" he asked looking around the room.

"All these refugees were from a camp filled with children under fourteen. They found the parents worked harder without childcare responsibilities and took them away. We have a handful of Vedeks that they put with them to care for them, but they aren't in good health, many of them died of starvation. They fed the children first and went without." she explained. "We're doing the DNA scans to reunite families wherever we can."

"I didn't realize." Reg whispered. "I can see you're busy, I just wanted to let you know I saw the new counsellor."

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Well, I think. She said to take today to process what happened and see her again tomorrow. She said it was good I'm talking about it, not bottling it up." He fidgeted with his fingers

"Good." she rubbed his arm. "I'm stopping for lunch soon. Did you want to meet up?"

"That'd be great. I'll probably be in my quarters."

"I'll come and find you." she stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "See you soon." He kissed her cheek in return and made his way out through the crowd. "Hi, what's your name?" Taryn smiled at her next patient.

…

He was pacing nervously in his quarters when she arrived.

"Are you okay?" she asked, noticing how perturbed he seemed.

"Yes, I mean no, I mean…Come and sit down." he took her hand and lead her to the table he had set for lunch. She took a seat and looked up at him with an expectant look on her face. "I was going to wait for t...tonight, but I'm a nervous wreck already." He forced a smile and fidgeted with his hands nervously. "Um…okay…" he dropped to one knee and pulled out a small box. "I wrote a speech but…Will you marry me Taryn?" He frowned, her face was ashen as she stared at the ring he held out to her. "I…I can change the ring if you don't like it…I didn't know if you'd prefer a solitaire or…"

She took his hands in hers and swallowed hard. "It's not the ring, it's beautiful…a trilogy setting is perfect…" She drew a deep breath. "There's something I really need to explain…."

…

Geordi looked up from his lunch as Reg stalked into the bar and began arguing with the barman. "Is there a problem here?" he asked.

"Yes there's a problem. The damn counsellor had my replicator limited and I need a drink." Reg shouted.

"I tried to explain I'm not allowed to serve real alcohol…" the barman explained.

"Okay, come with me." Geordi told Reg. He knew Guinan would probably have handled him better than her subordinate but that was beside the point. Bar staff weren't there to be shouted at no matter how rough a time you were having. "That's an order Commander." he added as Reg didn't follow him. "Spill it." Geordi stated as soon as they were alone in the corridor.

"Sir?"

"Well, either you've turned into a raging alcoholic while I wasn't looking or something is bothering you. Which is it?"

"I proposed." he admitted. "She said no." He looked away, pain evident on his face.

Geordi resisted the urge to smile, he couldn't exactly tell him he'd proposed almost daily in the other timeline before Taryn had agreed to marry him. "Maybe she needs more time to get used to the idea. Wait a while and…"

"Waiting a while won't alter the fact she's married to someone else." Reg snapped.

"What?" Geordi asked incredulously. "Who to?"

"I don't know and I don't really care." Reg clenched his jaw. "I threw her out when she said there was no chance she'd ever ask him for a divorce to be with me. So now I know where I stand with her and it's nowhere." He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Can I go sir? I won't cause any more trouble."

"Uh…yeah." Geordi mumbled feeling more than a little shocked.

…

"Hey!" Geordi shouted when he caught up with her in a corridor. "I don't know what the hell you think you're playing at…are you okay?" he asked on seeing her puffy eyes and distressed expression.

"No I'm not okay. He wouldn't let me explain. I never thought he'd propose, not this soon." she sobbed, her lower lip quivering. "I thought I had time to tell him and…It's not how he thinks it is at all…"

"Okay, let's find somewhere to talk." Geordi told her softly and began walking with her. "But he's my friend and I don't like the idea of you leading him on…"

"I'm not, I swear." she whispered. "I love him. I'm in love with him...it's such a mess." She broke down and sobbed, making a keening noise with her face buried in her hands.

Geordi sighed. To think he thought their relationship was less complicated in this timeline. "You'd better start from the beginning."

…

"Get out." Reg glowered as Taryn entered his quarters, he was sitting slumped on the couch. Geordi stopped her leaving with a hand on her shoulder.

"Reg, you really should listen to what she has to say. All of it."

"I've heard all I need to. She's a lying, cheating bitch. Does your husband know what you get up to? Is he joining you here soon?" He snorted. "That'd be the icing on the cake. Seeing you together. I won't give you the satisfaction of laughing at me. I'd rather resign my commission than stay on this ship if you're here with him."

"This is hopeless." she said and went to leave again but Geordi grabbed her arm.

"You're going to sit and explain." He stated, shoving her onto the couch beside Reg. He was little rougher than he'd intended but he knew if he didn't apply a little tough love this rift would become permanent. "And you're going to shut up and listen." he pointed to Reg. "After it's all in the open if the pair of you want to call each other names, beat the crap out of each other or throw away your careers that's up to you." Geordi took a seat opposite them in order to act as referee if need be. "Go on." he prompted her.

"My aunt, great-aunt really, Straveen is a Tahedri, the patriarch of an Orion Great Family. She'd promised the Tahedri of another Caj, the Corsti a bride of the Barin bloodline as part of a non-aggression pact. The problem was she didn't have one, aside from my biological mother, Tira and me. I'd never even met my Orion relatives other than my grandmother and my two cousins that she raised when I was little more than a baby. Tira's been on the run for decades, no one knew where she was. So the…honour fell to me. Straveen sent men to snatch me from Earth. I was on my way home from school when they grabbed me."

"School?" Reg asked incredulously.

Taryn nodded. "They took me to Barin Prime, her…well it's her planet really. Bylar, Tahedri of the Corsti was livid when he saw me. There's no age restriction on marriage under Orion law but for an arranged marriage it's customary to wait until you've… there's a ritual at fourteen where you reach womanhood and eighteen is more the norm for taking a mate these days. Not only was I seven, I wasn't a pure Green Kolari. Can I have some water please?" she asked and Reg went to get her some from the replicator, blanching as he registered how old she was. "Straveen blamed me. She said I was ugly and imperfect, a quarter-breed disgrace not good enough to be a Tabadi, that's the wife of a Tahedri and…that I was a mongrel freak corrupted with Human filth." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she accepted the glass and took a sip. "She was furious that her treaty was going to go belly up and…um. She grabbed the plasma whip that she used on the korgasant, slethi and marakos she trained…they're predatory beasts."

Reg's eyes widened and he turned to face her.

"I thought she was going to kill me. She would have but Bylar's youngest, Neriya, his daughter heard me screaming and fetched her father. She's the same age as me, she's very brave. I'd thought Bylar was angry before but that was nothing compared to his face when he saw what Straveen had done. He said, I was promised to him but she said I was a Barin daughter. Her property, her chattel to sell, marry off or kill as she saw fit. I remember Bylar holding my face in his hands and urging me to sign the treaty with him and he would give me his protection. Vows were made too but I was in too much pain to remember them clearly and… I was married. Bylar was widowed. He already had an heir and a spare and four daughters and didn't need or want another mate. He'd have gone ahead with the treaty with or without me but by marrying me he changed my status. Not only was I Tabadi, I was a Corsti and no longer subject to Straveen's control. My new husband contacted my Dad and rushed me to the nearest Starbase for medical treatment. Bylar said he would be beside himself if someone took his Neriya from their home planet by force and he had to act, as both a Tahedri and a father. My back was a mess, you noticed the scars last night. It hardly shows now, you wouldn't know I was reduced to a bloody pulp. I can even get away with backless dresses in the right light but I know the scars are still there. The worst ones are the scars you can't see and never could, the flash of that…the whip and the sound it made…the searing pain…the scars in my memory…does that make sense? I still have nightmares after years of counselling." she admitted and wiped her eyes. "I was paraplegic, she severed my spinal cord and I needed over a year of intensive and painful regenerative and physical therapy. Then there was the soft tissue damage. Most of the muscles in my back needed to be genitronically replicated, they had to painstakingly replace the musculature over multiple surgeries. I lost count of all the hours I spent in the hydrotherapy pool. Just as well I'm not scared of water really." She smiled and Geordi realized if all this happened when she was seven she couldn't have tripped and fallen into her uncle's pool on Earth. "It cost me a promising career as a gymnast but at least I'm alive. I can prove all of this, I have medical records, the report made when I was kidnapped…"

"No…I…I believe you, there's no need. Did you consummate your marriage? Is there no divorce under Orion law?" Reg asked.

"No we never, he's like a second father to me and…you have to understand that you just have to both declare that someone is your mate in front of a witness to be considered bonded under Orion law, consummation isn't a requirement. But I'm bonded to him as part of a peace treaty, a contract that will have to be dissolved if I'm to be released from my promise to him. It's not in either Caju's interests to restore hostilities but that doesn't mean there won't be blood-shed and I'm bound by the Hippocratic oath too. Not only that I'll revert to the Caj Barin and my aunt will be free to marry me off to someone else...or worse. She'll also have control over any children I may have. It's a privilege few Tahedrin exercise these days but it's her right and she's a sadistic shit."

"What if, you could preserve the peace but be released of your obligations? You could marry me straight away? Legally she couldn't do anything about it."

"She'd have you killed. Her word is law. Barin Prime is like Game of Thrones with more bloodshed and nudity."

"I don't know what that means." Reg whispered.

"It doesn't matter." She forced a smile. "I'm free to live my life as I wish, Bylar has granted me complete autonomy…not that monogamy is necessarily a prerequisite of marriage for Orions anyway."

"But you can't marry anyone else." he reasoned and she nodded sadly. "What if your husband died?" She looked scandalized at the suggestion. "I don't mean I'll murder him. Would you be a Barin again?"

"I have an agreement with my stepchildren. We're friends, I've spent a fair amount of time with them over the years. My parents were always happy for me to explore my cultural heritage. In theory Bylar could make me Tahedri, not that it's likely but if he does I'll retire in favour of his first born. Otherwise I'm not to contest the accession or produce any children with Bylar that may have a claim. That part is easy." She smiled. "If I stick to the bargain I can live out my days as the dowager and I'd be free to marry again as a widow." She looked at him earnestly. "He saved my life and gave me my freedom, he's treated me like a daughter and I owe him more than I can ever repay and asked nothing in return besides the fact it aggravated Straveen and he finds that amusing. He's a good man."

"And if your aunt dies first?"

"Everything depends on who is her successor. She has no children and she could name anyone she wants anyway. She could even appoint a committee."

"So, where do we go from here?" Reg asked dejectedly.

"That's up to you." She shifted in her seat. "If a commitment is what you're looking for I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. I'll happily fall asleep in your arms and no one else's every night and bear your beautiful children. I hope that after a long and happy life together your eyes will be the last thing I see. I'll even wear your ring as a token of my commitment but as things stand I can't legally be your wife."

Reg sighed. "Maybe a long engagement wouldn't be such a bad idea." he stated. "No need to rush into anything." He pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry I acted like a jerk." he whispered. "I thought…I thought maybe I was just…I thought you lied…about how you felt…about everything between us. When you said you had feelings for him and there was no chance of you divorcing him to be with me…I thought you loved him and I was just a fling. I'm sorry I never let you explain but…it hurt."

She rubbed his arm. "I meant to tell you, but there never seemed to be a right time to do it and… it's to do with the law, not how I feel. I've never mislead you about that. It's the very definition of a marriage of convenience. I can't say I don't have feelings for Bylar but it certainly isn't love. I love you. I want to be with you for all eternity."

"It's the commitment I really want I suppose, not the wedding or the legal stuff." He pulled away and began searching the floor. "It's here somewhere…" he pounced on the ring he had thrown across the room. He sat beside her and slid it onto her finger. "You already made some lovely vows… I picked a trilogy setting, three diamonds that symbolize our past, our present and our future. I promise to love you as much as I do today for the rest of my existence, just as I have from the moment I met you. I'll always be your lover, your partner and your friend. I hope that I will be as good a parent to our children as both your father and husband seem to have been to you." He kissed her tenderly on the lips and held her tight.

"I'm sorry I can't make an honest man of you. I really wish I could, more than anything." she whispered over his shoulder. "I need to get back to work. Beverly will be frantic."

"Don't go." he whispered.

"I have to." she kissed him softly. "Duty calls."

"Resign." Reg stated. "I'll resign too. I'm not cut out to be a Chief Engineer and I hate the direction Starfleet is taking. You can work anywhere, you're a doctor. Better yet we'll work together, like we said."

"Are you serious?" she asked with her eyes wide. "Okay." she agreed. "But I do need to go back and help out. You saw what Sickbay is like today."

"I'll see you tonight though? We'll talk about everything. Make plans?"

"Try stopping me." she said as she left the room.

"Wow." Reg whispered. "Thank you, I know it's not a proper wedding but I'm glad you witnessed it." he told Geordi.

"It was an honour and a privilege, but… you're going to resign your commission?" Geordi asked. "Give up Starfleet? Reg, you really need to give this more thought…"

"No, I think I just made the best decision of my life." Reg stated. "You know how hard it is to just stay at the same posting as an unmarried couple in Starfleet. We won't be able to live together officially and even if one of us resigns we can't be the other's dependent. What happens when we have kids? It makes more sense to make a fresh start somewhere new." He smiled broadly. "I'm going to make babies and androids and holograms with the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Screw Starfleet, screw Haftel and his… intellect limiting algorithms. We're going to redefine life together."

…

"You have to kill her." Andrews intoned darkly.

"We will not kill her." Data stated.

"Seriously. He has to stay in Starfleet and she's surplus to requirement. In the other timeline she's dead anyway." Andrews stated coldly.

"He doesn't have to stay in Starfleet to end up teaching at Daystrom." Geordi stated.

"As you said, certain concessions will have to be made." Data reminded him.

"He needs to be in Starfleet to teach at the Academy." Andrews explained. "The knowledge he will impart there will save countless officers in the future, countless ships. That neurotic, stammering nerd is the deciding factor that prevents the fall of the Federation."

"Maybe if you'd told us that we could have steered him in that direction." Geordi replied. "How were we to know you expected him to stay in Starfleet?"

"Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to get the guy laid you'd have this situation under control by now." Andrews snapped angrily.

"If you need him to teach you need her. He will not find the confidence without her support." Data stated.

"And while I'm on the topic of non-disclosure don't think the fact Haftel is ruling the roost escaped our notice." Geordi said with venom. "He's Section 31, he tortures and kills sentient inorganic life to the point of multiple genocide."

"A certain amount of collateral damage is inevitable when the timeline gets this badly corrupted."

"No." Data informed him flatly. "While I am able to accept that I am the property of Starfleet with no rights I will not condemn others to that fate and worse. This timeline is beyond redemption."

"Tough titties gentlemen." Andrews stated. "You have to cut your cloth according to your means, play the cards you're dealt and stop whining like babies. She ends up dead or I'll do it myself."

"If you had the balls to kill her you'd never have asked us to do it." Geordi intoned. "Data's right, if it wasn't for her he'd never have accepted the job at Daystrom. He gained confidence working with Dan as his holography tutor and he coached Galatea, all because of Taryn."

"It was a unique set of circumstances that led to him becoming a lecturer. Ones not easy to replicate. The presence of Haftel and the injustice it has caused has united them, given them something to rail against and given the choice I too would resign and go with them. I believe they are doing the right thing." Data reasoned.

"I'm tempted to work with them myself." Geordi stated. "Being First Officer is okay, but it's not where I belong."

"Oh boo-hoo." Andrews said sarcastically miming turning his fists in front of his eyes. "Woe is me. Starfleet's finest my hairy bean-bag. You two need to man up. There's a greater good at stake here." He pointed at them angrily. "Kill her, don't kill her. I don't give a shit but keep that big dorky geek in in the service and ship his screwball ass back to Earth pronto." He shimmered out of sight.

"Back in the Academy I wrote a term paper on Archer and the Temporal Cold war. This guy isn't at all what I expected from a 31st century Temporal Agent." He looked at Data. "What do you think?"

"To quote Taryn; Fuck him, this sucks. We are going to find another way back to the 19th century and resolve the situation there."

"Yeah but how?" Geordi asked.

"That is a good question, and I believe you are the ranking officer at present." Data smirked.

"Thanks Data, thanks a bunch." Geordi scowled.

 _Author's Note._

 _I do not own Game of Thrones, I wish I did. That's life I suppose._

 _Thank you MissMelysse for all your reviews. As always any and all comments are appreciated._


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"I thought you were taking today off?" Taryn said as she entered the holodeck.

"I'm not working." Reg replied, or rather his legs did as they stuck out from under a console.

"This is what you do for fun?" she asked as she crouched next to him.

He shuffled out from under it and leant on his elbow with a photon scanner in his hand. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while now. But…it's not exactly within the protocols laid down by Starfleet for holographic constructs."

"How naughty." she smiled. "If you tell me about it will you have to kill me?"

"Only la petite mort, ma chérie." he assured her as he took her hand and kissed it tenderly. "Nice ring. Someone's a lucky guy." He craned his neck as she leaned in to kiss him. "A very lucky guy." He kissed her again.

"Well," she said as she moved to sit cross legged next to him, "my French is matched only by my appalling Vulcan but I'm fairly sure la petite mort is an orgasm. I think I can make the ultimate sacrifice and risk asking what you're up to."

"What do you know about Ira Graves?"

"He's dead. He was a randy old bastard with an inflated opinion of himself and his abilities but he probably came closer than anyone else to cracking the Human Equation with his synaptic scanning technique. Although from the notes Noonien Soong left when he died he may have beaten Graves to it."

"In that case you know more than me." Reg admitted. "Do you have a copy of Soong's notes?"

"There is only one copy, and it certainly isn't in the public domain." Taryn replied cryptically. "If you ask Data nicely he may let you look at Soong's handwritten notes too."

"You see, I knew there's a reason why I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He smiled and kissed her again.

"So," she prompted, "Ira Graves…"

"I've been studying his work, and thinking about," he reached up and activated something on the console he was working under, "that." he pointed to a large device that hovered ominously over a seat that appeared in the middle of a room.

"Oh my God." she whispered and stood, walking towards the device with a fascinated expression on her face. "Is this…? Holy crap it's an interface with…" she looked up. "Are those dynamic synaptic scanners?" She touched the arm of the seat. "This is streets ahead of anything I've ever seen."

"Thank you, although I can't take all the credit." He walked to her side. "There was a probe and I was briefly made the most advanced Human being to ever exist. Not that I like to brag of course." He waited for her to laugh and was surprised that she was still awestruck by the Neural Scan Interface.

"Oh my God, have you tried it yet? Does it translate into a functional matrix?" she asked desperately.

"Last time I used it…let's just say I didn't win any friends and nearly wound up spending the rest of my life in that seat. But as for what I'm planning you're way ahead of me, I've only just got the thing plumbed in."

"I know you promised me a little death…dear God." She put her arms around his neck. "I knew you were clever but…this is brilliant."

"If this gets you off, wait till I power it up." he laughed.

"We have to speak to Data. The notes he has go further than Graves work. If we can get a matrix to work on a grid, nurse it to stability and build it a body…"

"We can take it off the grid." Reg reasoned. "In theory maybe. Don't forget Maddox stripped Data down and still couldn't build a working positronic brain."

"I'm not Maddox. I haven't been trying to reverse engineer someone else's work. I've been studying real neural tissue in action and… I may not have cracked it yet but I have some new ideas. I haven't followed them up because I don't want my work confiscated by Starfleet and misused."

Reg drew a deep breath. "So we resign our commissions. Then what?"

"We find somewhere to live and work."

"It'll have to be outside the Federation." Reg pointed out. "How will we fund our research?"

"Finance isn't an issue." she assured him.

"If you think I'm living off your husband then forget it." he snapped angrily and pulled away. "I have at least some pride. If we're going to have a family we're supporting it ourselves."

"Whoa! Easy Tiger." She smiled and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him into a hug. "You happen to be shacking up with a princess in her own right remember? An independently wealthy princess thanks to her obscenely rich grandmother who adored her Little Flower." She smirked. "How do you feel about being my kept man?"

"I could get used to that I suppose." He returned her embrace a little reluctantly. "Your Nanna called you Little Flower?" he asked with a smile. "That's adorable."

"My Human grandma calls me Sweat-Pea too." she admitted. "I already contacted the bank. I thought we'd have to call in at the Homeworld to add you as co-signatory but they say they can do it if you give permission for them to access your biometric data held by Starfleet command."

"No, It's your money…" he argued.

"And you are my mate in every way that counts. This is the only legal commitment I can make to you and I'm doing it. I already left instructions that you get everything if anything happens to me when I called them anyway. It's our money now." She sighed and held him close. "There's something else…"

"Don't tell me. Let me guess." he said sarcastically. "You have three kids? You used to be a man? You lost your virginity to a Targ? What?"

"I think we should ask Data to come with us." she whispered.

"I know it's cosmically unjust but Starfleet own him." Reg pointed. "He's property, materiel…"

"As my grandmother Edara would have pointed out… Property is a flexible concept in Orion culture. If we set up home on an Orion colony the Federation would never risk pissing off the Tahedrin by staging a raid to get him back. They're already on their uppers from liberating Bajor and the rescue operation, not to mention the Dominion threat with them still in league with the Cardassians, the Breen…" She gazed up at Reg. "Besides, they wouldn't look for him if they thought he was dead."

Reg sighed. "We can broach the topic I suppose."

"So what's the next step for what you have in mind here?" she said brightly.

"Try and get a scan of someone's synaptic pattern and see if it can be converted into a functional holomatrix." Reg stated.

"My neurology isn't exactly standard but I'd be happy to volunteer." Taryn suggested.

"In that case take a seat and we'll give it a try."

…

"You are Data." the Bajoran woman stated as she stopped him in a corridor.

"Yes Vedek, may I help you?" he replied politely and was a little shocked when she grasped his ear.

"You are a lost soul." she shook her head.

"Perhaps my artificial nature…"

"Lost in time." she stated. "You and another."

"Yes Vedek." he said with surprise. "You understand our predicament?"

"The Prophets have revealed some of it to me."

"Vedek Onara?" one of the other Vedeks took hold of her, a man Data recognised as Vedek Vornas. "I'm sorry she's disturbed by her experiences during the occupation. She doesn't always make sense." the man led her away along with another man in robes.

"Wait please?" Data pursued them and took her hand. "Is there something you wish to say to me Vedek Onara?"

"I'm glad Barclay found you Number One, but I am saddened that he is going to lose his wife. Those poor children. Three of them." she told the other Vedek. "So sad, a child without a mother is only matched by a mother without her child." She turned back to Data. "Tell him I'm so sorry, I wanted so much to help him. I hoped the Tear would be enough."

"Come on Lyra. We should be going. The Commander is a busy man." The Vedek smiled supportively and gently passed her to his colleague. "I'm sorry, she lost her son in the camp. A sweet little boy. It turned her mind but we hope one day she will return to us. She tends to ramble, her thoughts are scattered."

"On the contrary, I believe she has remarkable focus and clarity." Data replied. "She is welcome to speak to me any time she wishes," he raised a finger to stop the man's objection, "I will not consider it a bother. She is a guest on this ship and free to communicate with any of the crew. I trust you will not prevent her autonomy?"

"Of course not Commander," the man looked affronted, "I am, however charged with her welfare."

"Then I shall not detain you from your task Vedek Vornas." Data replied with a brief smile.

…

"Geordi, Onara Lyra is on board and she knows where we are from." Data stated blankly as he entered his friend's quarters.

"Kai Onara?" Geordi asked incredulously.

"In this timeline Vedek Onara and she is believed to be psychologically disturbed, but I suspect she has been in communion with the Prophets and is having difficulty distinguishing between this timeline and ours. She spoke of Barclay's three children, expressed sorrow that he would be losing his wife and told me she had hoped that giving him the Orb would be enough. She called me Number One Geordi."

"That's kinda tough evidence to argue with." Geordi replied. "Do you think she'll be able to help us at all?"

"I do not know. But we need all the help we can get."

…

"This table is taken." Lieutenant Barrymore told Taryn as she went to sit down.

"Sorry I didn't realise." Taryn replied and left the empty table to move to another.

"So is that one." Barrymore told her. "They're all reserved."

"I see." Taryn said and folded her arms. "I know you have a fat arse but I didn't think you needed that many seats."

"Get the hint, you aren't welcome here, you mongrel freak. You're only here in case that machine posing as an officer breaks down." Barrymore hissed into her face. "We don't need either of you on this ship, no matter what Picard says."

"Back off." Taryn warned coldly.

"Make me?" she replied as three other officers stood behind her.

"You really don't want to take me on Barrymore." Taryn said, standing her ground.

"Why, will you call your Daddy? Tell him you're being picked on? Or maybe your boyfriend the Holo-fucker?"

Taryn turned to walk away but found two more officers blocked her path. "Where are you going sweetheart? one of the men leered. "We're not done talking yet."

She snorted with laughter. "You're done Hargrove. I'll go through you if I have to."

"There's six of us and only one of you." he sneered, his face close to hers.

"Well call some more of your mates and it'll be a fair fight." she replied menacingly and took a combat stance. He looked a little taken aback. "Didn't you know? I grew up with seven siblings and was Mixed Martial Arts Champion every year I was at the Academy. Look me up. I can certainly handle two out of shape Stella Cartographers and four bone idle enlisted Techs."

"Is there a problem here?" Guinan asked.

"I was just leaving." Taryn told her with a smile and relaxed her stance as though nothing as wrong and the group dissipated, Hargrove slamming into her with his shoulder menacingly as he passed.

Guinan followed her into the corridor. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's not my first angry mob." She smiled and walked away.

Guinan turned and walked back into her bar. She headed straight to the table where Barrymore was sitting laughing with her gang of bullies.

"Barrymore, Hargrove. Get out of my bar, you're banned until further notice." Guinan stated.

"You can't do that." Barrymore protested.

"I can and I just have." Guinan told her plainly. "Unless you want to make an issue of it?"

They glared at Reg as they left the bar and he frowned and approached Guinan. "Has Taryn been here? We're supposed to meet for lunch."

"You just missed her." Guinan replied. "When you find her tell her she's always welcome in here."

"What do you mean?" he asked looking worried.

"She'll know what I mean." Guinan told him.

He finally caught up with her nearly an hour later in her quarters.

"Taryn, what's going on? You weren't answering your communicator and I've been all over the ship chasing you. Dr Crusher told me you dropped out of the theatre group…"

"I have. I joined to make friends and I got the opposite." she replied as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"You have got friends there. Lots of people like you." he argued. "Did something happen at the bar?"

"Nothing new." she said coldly. "It doesn't matter, I've resigned my commission."

"Already? I thought we were going to wait until we got to the refugee camp?"

"If I stay I'm liable to lose my temper and kill someone." she stated. "Captain Picard agreed to drop me at Starbase 192 and I'll hitch a ride to Earth from there. You can catch up with me later if you want."

"If I want?" he asked incredulously and grasped her upper arms, pulling her out of her seat. "Tell me what happened?"

"Barrymore and her cronies. They cornered me and tried to threaten me."

"What? Why?"

"Apparently I'm just here in case the 'machine posing as an officer breaks down' and both of us are surplus to requirement. They weren't exactly complimentary about you either."

"What did they say?" he asked.

"I'm not repeating it." she told him and avoided his gaze.

"Holo-fucker?" he said sadly and she sighed, dropping her head onto his chest. "That's not a new one. Why is it bigots have no imagination?"

"They're bigots because they have no imagination." She wrapped her arms around him. "I've had other threats too, since I came aboard. Some people are frightened of Data and all artificial life, what they represent and I'm outspoken on the topic. I've had articles published. I'm hated by extension." she admitted.

"I've had some flack too over the years. People, probably the same people who've been goading you, think I'm building a holographic army to take over the ship. My problem was never about that though. It was about feeling accepted and wanted. Included. Everything you make me feel about myself." He sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around her. "I'm going to see the Captain. I'll tell him I'm leaving the ship with you."

"I said I'd keep working till then." she whispered and he nodded. "In the meantime I'll try not to lose my rag and rip anyone's head off."

…

"May I help you Vedek Onara?" Taryn asked as the Bajoran woman entered Sickbay nervously.

"You are here." she beamed with joy as she took hold of Taryn's ear. "Your Pagh is strong, I can see why you are so important to him." She pressed a locket into her hands. "This is for you."

"I can't accept this." Taryn demurred and tried to give it back.

"The Prophets wish you to have it." Onara said and placed it around her neck, unzipped her uniform and tucked it inside. "It is yours child." she cupped her cheek. "Trust the Prophets. It will make the transition that is to come easier for you to bear."

"What did she give you?" Dr Crusher asked with a frown as the Vedek left.

"A necklace, a pendant. I'll return it to Vedek Vornas, he seems to be her minder, it looks valuable." She looked up as the ship rocked and they went to red alert. A medical emergency sounded and they dashed to the panel. "It's Sensor Control, an EPS interlink blew, I'll go." she said as she grabbed her medkit and broke into a run with Nurse Ogawa at her heels.

As they reached the corridor she held Alyssa back as there was another explosion. "Stay here." she told her as she pulled open a panel and grabbed a breathing mask from the wall nearby and ran into the smoke filled room. The first man she reached was dead, she scrambled over his body to his colleague who was screaming, his face and hands badly burned. She grabbed him and helped him towards the door. Data appeared through the smoke beside her and grabbed the man while she ran back for the other operator. She found a pulse and pulled him towards the door when Reg and Geordi appeared.

"That plasma conduit is going to blow." Geordi warned and pointed to the seemingly intact wall, his voice distorted by the mask as he grabbed the man.

"Leave him, he's dead." Taryn told Reg as he went towards the body on the floor. "We need to get out." She pushed Reg hard, sending him flying out of the door at the sound of the conduit giving way and the emergency safety field engaged behind him and the door closed. She was thrown back and pinned against the console by the blast and then the super-energised gas hit her. For a moment it felt cool against her skin and then it ignited, vaporizing her instantly and melting the console.

"NO!" Reg screamed and frantically tried to reach her, tearing at the door controls. "I can get her out. Open the door?" he begged Data.

"It is too late." Data told him. "The compartment is flooded with ignited Warp Plasma. She is gone."

"It can't be too late, it can't…" Reg wailed as Geordi and Alyssa pulled him away from the door sobbing hopelessly.

…

"You did this!" Data hissed as he pushed Andrews against the wall gripping the front of his black jumpsuit.

"It wasn't me." he argued. "I had nothing to do with it. These things happen."

"Do you ever listen to yourself?" Geordi asked Andrews as Guinan entered the room.

"What's she doing here?" Andrews asked.

She shook her head, "You'd think in five hundred years he'd learn some manners."

"It hasn't been that long for me. I see you haven't learned to keep your nose out of my business." Andrews whimpered as Data shook him hard. "Just put me down and we'll talk about this like rational beings okay?" Data lowered him to the ground and took a step back. "Thank you, now we may be able to salvage the situation…"

"What? Reg is a wreck. He's sitting in Sickbay hugging his knees and rocking back and forth, he's been catatonic for days and you think we can salvage something from this?" Geordi asked incredulously. "You really are a piece of work."

"He'll get over it." Andrews told them. "He has to, it's his destiny."

"I don't think he's interested in destiny right now." Guinan advised the temporal agent.

"He's not interested in anything, the man is bereft." Geordi stated.

"You do not seem to grasp her importance." Data stated.

"I know exactly how important she is. They slam together like particles in a hadron collider and their lives are never the same after that point. She's his muse, she inspires him. That is her role in this and she always dies before him. Sometimes when she's young." Andrews stated.

"I do not accept that." Data argued.

"You have to. It's a Universal Constant." Andrews told him. "It's sad but unavoidable. You have to help him get through this."

"We will, but because he's our friend, not as part of your agenda." Geordi advised him.

"Just do what you can, remember the Federation is at stake here." Andrews stated and disappeared.

" _Engineering to Commander Data._ "

"Data here." he replied.

" _Holodeck 5 is sealed and we can't get in. It's drawing a lot of power and it's locked under Commander Barclay's ID."_

"Commander La Forge and I will investigate Mr Ashby. Data out." he looked at Geordi. "Are you aware of any simulations he is running?"

Geordi shook his head. "No, we'd better try and ask him. Was there anything you needed Guinan?"

"Just, I have the feeling Andrews is surprised this happened." Guinan replied. "He didn't see this coming. He's improvising."

"Surely he could check his temporal observatory?" Data argued.

Geordi let out a low chuckle. "Haydn bumped into him at the Langham remember." Geordi said to Guinan.

"He stole it?" she asked.

"I wouldn't put it past him." Geordi replied. "He'd swipe anything that isn't nailed down."

Data's lip quirked. "I believe we should keep that to ourselves for now." he looked at Guinan. "What happened after the ambush at Waterloo Station?"

"I don't know. I wasn't able to find anything out. There was a clean-up operation. Your guys were all rounded up and everything got swept under the carpet. It was like you were never there apart from the dead Londoners and even their deaths were hushed up." Guinan explained. "I wish I knew."

…

"Reg? Reg?" Geordi asked his distraught friend who was sat on a biobed in the corner of Sickbay, his face pale and his eyes red. "I know it's not a good time, but have you left something running on Holodeck 5?"

"Holodeck 5?" Reg repeated, it was the first thing he'd said in over seventy hours. "Yes, I um. It's not official." he looked around suspiciously. "I'll go and shut it down." he stood up and walked stiffly towards the door.

"Can we come along?" Geordi asked indicating himself and Data and Reg nodded his assent.

"Computer, release the door. Access code Barclay Omega Three Six Pii." Reg said dejectedly.

" _Access code accepted._ " The door hissed open.

"Finally," Taryn stated as she stepped down from the seat under the neural scan interface. "The door wouldn't open and the holodeck wouldn't accept my voice commands. I've been stuck in here for…Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." she commented and rushed towards Reg.

"Stop." Data shouted as she reached the door and pulled out his tricorder. "Please back away?"

"What's wrong?" she asked with a frown as she complied and stepped back as he scanned her.

"Reg, what exactly were you doing in here?" Geordi asked as he looked at the readings Data was taking.

"We were trying to build a sentient hologram using Taryn's neural pattern as a basis." Reg replied blankly. "It didn't work. This is just a simulation that must have spawned from the raw data during EPS overload. Computer delete…"

"No, I remember being in Sensor Control, there were wounded crewmen. You three were there." she argued. "I'm not a program."

"You can't possibly remember that." Reg argued. "You can't be Taryn, she's dead. She was sprayed as vapour all through the…relay panel." he paused and raised his hand to his mouth. "The sensor relay panel." he repeated.

"I died?" she asked. "I can't have died, I'm here. I'm me."

"You are photonic." Data stated and handed her the tricorder.

"Oh God, what if…what if part of her got caught in the sensor relay and somehow she found enough of herself in the holographic buffer to fill in what was missing?" Reg asked.

"What the hell am I?" she asked Data plaintively. "I'm not even a normal hologram, look at these energy readings?" she asked pointing at the tricorder in her hand.

Reg took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "Is it really you?" he asked her earnestly.

"I don't know." Her eyes filled with tears. "I feel like me but the tricorder…" He pulled her close and held her tight.

"It's going to be okay." he whispered into her hair.

"We should check the sensor logs at the time of her death to see if there is any evidence of what happened." Data said to Geordi. Reg took Taryn by the hand and led her over to the console.

"What are you doing?" Geordi asked.

"I'm looking at her program." Reg replied. "Checking that she's stable. I'm not losing her again."

"Reg, we aren't even certain this is Taryn." Geordi argued.

"I'm certain." Reg said earnestly. "Look in her eyes. She's not just a simulation."

"Okay, you're the expert here Reg, you and Data investigate further and I'll tell the Captain." Geordi said tiredly.

"No you can't." Reg protested. "Starfleet can't know about this. They made the Captain hand over Moriarty and they'll do the same with her. They'll call her property and take her away and experiment on her just like they did with Data."

Data steered Geordi to one side. "Captain Picard told me we not only lost the hearing I was dismantled. He said he had to fight to get me back and it was you and Dr Crusher who finally reassembled me. I was almost tested to destruction by Maddox' experiment."

"Delete me." she sobbed. "I'm dead anyway. Maybe I am just a freak simulation."

"No, Taryn. I know this is hard but you can handle this. You have to. I need you." Reg told her earnestly.

"But I'm dead. Do I even have a soul anymore?" she wailed hysterically. "I shouldn't exist. Delete me?" she pleaded with Reg. "Please delete me? Or I'll find a way to delete myself." She sniffed and looked around the room. "Open the door for me? Open the door and let me step into the corridor?" She begged desperately. "I'm just a thing, not even that…I'm spurious code…let me leave? Please let me leave?"

"No, I can't…" Reg shook his head.

"Computer freeze program." Data stated and she stood still, gripping the front of Reg's uniform.

"I won't delete her and I'll kill anyone who tries." Reg stated. "We can't let her hurt herself."

"No we cannot delete her. Her outburst supports the theory it is indeed her." Data replied.

"But she can't handle it." Geordi stated.

"Maybe we can help her." Reg suggested, "Break it to her gently over time."

"But she already knows." Geordi argued.

"She's a hologram, I'll purge her memory." Reg stated. "Shut her down and I'll take her with me in my hand luggage when I leave. No one else has to know."

"Moriarty felt the passage of time while in memory. She may find it distressing." Data stated. "But I do have another suggestion."

…

"Good morning." Reg whispered as her eyelids fluttered open. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, but I had a weird dream." Taryn told him and stretched in the bed.

"What about?" he asked with a smile and stroked her cheek with his finger.

"It was dark and I couldn't move or feel my body. It seemed to go on for hours." she whispered.

"It was just a dream." Reg whispered. "Did you want some breakfast?"

"I'm not really hungry, but I should eat something really." she replied.

"Fennel tea and toast?" he suggested.

"Yes please." she replied with a smile. "I think I'll have a shower."

Reg got out of bed and walked across the room in his pyjamas, he went into the living room and picked up his combadge from the table as he headed for the replicator.

"Barclay to Data."

" _Data here._ "

"She's aware of the time she was in memory, as we hoped she thinks it was a dream." Reg stated.

" _Acknowledged._ "

"Who were you talking to?" she asked as she hugged him from behind in her bath robe.

"I was wangling the day off so I can spend more time with you." he said as he turned around and hugged her.

"That's nice." She smiled up at him. "I love you."

"I love you too." he replied and kissed her. "Maybe breakfast can wait a while." She giggled as he picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Reg is everything okay with you?" Beverly asked in Main Engineering.

"I'm fine." he replied as he looked up from his console.

"It's been brought to my attention that you've been spending a lot of time on the holodeck. I know you've had a rough time since we lost Taryn but…"

"I'm not having a relapse doctor. It's a simulation to do with the weird problem we had with that warp coil. I need to keep an eye on it."

"It sounds like you're in denial and you haven't been seeing Counsellor Kayla…"

"Because I'm dealing with her death in my own way." he replied.

"I know you miss Deanna since she left, but don't feel you can't ask for help if you need someone to talk to. If not Kayla then me."

"I've been talking with Geordi about it. He knows about the holodeck time too." Reg assured her. "Ask him if you don't believe me."

"Just, you aren't alone. Remember that." She touched his arm and he grasped her hand. "We all got very fond of her in Sickbay even though she was only here a short time."

"She was fond of all of you too." Reg told her softly and sighed as she walked away. He hated lying to her but he knew it was with good reason.

…

"How was your day?" he asked Taryn as they ate dinner in a holographic replica of the bar.

"Boring, there don't seem to be any challenges anymore."

"How do you mean?" he asked with concern.

"I haven't had anything mysterious to deal with in ages. Every case is textbook and everybody is responding as expected."

"Isn't that a good thing?" he asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"Well yes, but it's unusual. If I didn't know better I'd think I was running holographic simulations…Are you alright?" she asked as Reg choked on his drink.

"Yes I'm fine." he coughed and made a mental note to tweak the program.

"Oh God, it's the dynamic duo." Taryn muttered and instinctively covered her face with her hand as Barrymore and Hargrove entered the room. She seemed surprised that they smiled cordially as they walked past then took a table nearby.

Reg winced, another factor he'd forgotten. "I think Guinan had a word after your run in last week." he suggested. "Another week and a half and we'll be out of here anyway."

"I can't wait." she smiled and held his hand. "I'm really excited about you meeting my family. I know they'll love you, don't be nervous." she said as she saw his worried expression.

How exactly was he going to negotiate that problem? Her family would have already been informed of her death and he couldn't take her off the hologrid. He was going to have to broach the subject of her true nature sooner rather than later and hope she took it better than last time.

…

She woke with a start beside him and sat bolt upright causing Zimmerman to jump off the bed. "What is it? What's wrong?" Reg asked desperately.

"The necklace, Vedek Onara gave me…it was like a locket. I was going to give it back to her. I must have lost it somewhere."

"Don't worry. I expect someone found it and already returned it." he told her as he stroked her hair. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"I'm not tired." she replied. "I haven't been tired for days. I haven't been hungry, I haven't wanted to pee." she looked at him. "I was wearing the necklace in the Sensor Control Room when…" her eyes widened. "Reg,did I die?" A look of realisation spread across her face. "Oh my God what did you do?" She jumped out of bed and backed herself into the corner with distrust and horror in her eyes. "You built another me? How could you do that?"

"It wasn't me. I swear to you. It just happened somehow. Yes, I love you and I missed you so much but I could never love a…a simulation of you." He swallowed hard. "We found an energy spike that ran from the sensor relays to this Holodeck when…it happened. We've, Data, Geordi and I have been through Noonien Soong's notes and we think there was some kind of synaptic transfer and your consciousness merged with the matrix we were playing with."

"Did you see me die?" she asked plaintively.

"I was the other side of the door. It was quick, very quick. We don't think you suffered at all." he replied.

"So I died alone." she whispered sadly. "Do my family know I'm dead?" Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"They will by now. We hoped this simulation would help you realise the truth more gradually. We had an argument whether you were the real thing in front of you and…you got hysterical. You begged us to delete you so we purged your memory."

"Am I the real thing? Am I still me?" she asked plaintively as she walked back to the bed

"Yes, I've lived with you for over a week and you are definitely the same person." He smiled. "Believe me you're real, but you're photonic now and we've been keeping you a secret." he admitted. "The plan is we stick to the plan. We leave the ship, take Data and Geordi with us and set up on a planet somewhere. Ashby asked to come too, but he doesn't know about you yet. We don't want Starfleet to find out about you."

She nodded and sighed. "I'm sorry, I wanted to give you children."

"I know," he replied and pulled her into his arms, "but I could adopt even if you can't legally. We'll find a way. We could even make artificial babies with a heuristic algorithm. I want to create life with you and raise children. They don't have to be biologically ours or even biological."

 **"** Trust the Prophets. It will make the transition that is to come easier for you to bear." Taryn sniffed, "That's what Onara said when she gave me the locket. She said the Prophets wanted me to have it, she insisted. She put it around my neck and inside my uniform."

"Do you think she knew what was going to happen?" Reg asked.

"I don't know, she says some far out stuff. Miffy would call her touched." Taryn whispered. "Are you the only real person here?"

"Zimmerman is real, Data and Geordi have been real too." he stated.

"I thought people were being a little too nice. I was beginning to think I was on the USS Stepford."

"What?"

"Look up The Stepford Wives later." she told him with a smile.

"I never wanted to deceive you, but you were so unhappy before. We thought you might damage your program. You begged me to let you step off the grid. I…I couldn't let you once I knew it was really you."

"I understand. But can we change the simulation? I'd rather do some research in a lab than treat computer generated patients."

"Whatever your heart desires." he told her and kissed her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." she replied and the room changed to a larger, more lavish room with opulent drapery and cushions everywhere. She was reclining next to him dressed as an Orion slave girl in a metallic bikini. "What do you think?" she whispered and pulled a chiffon veil over her face.

"How did you do that?" he asked with a worried frown.

"Don't you like it?" she pouted. "I can change it back..."

"I never said I didn't like it. I'm just shocked at how fast you learned to do it."

"I'm a fast learner." she said and pulled him down by the collar of his pyjamas to kiss him.

"You do realise this could cause a relapse of my holo-addiction?" he whispered between kisses.

"This is my fantasy, not yours Master." she replied as he caressed her bare skin with his hand.

"Good point." He kissed her neck softly. "I won't worry then."

…

"Do I feel different to you now?" Taryn asked softly as they lay on their sides facing each other in the huge bed.

"No, not at all." Reg replied with a smile and kissed her palm tenderly.

"But I don't have pheromones anymore. It must be different." she insisted.

"I get just as lost in the moment without the pheromones. It's not your pheromones that enchant me. It's you." he assured her. She snuggled close to him and he cradled her in his arms.

"I'm not a real girl anymore." she sobbed.

"You're real to me." he whispered. "Everything will be alright." he promised her.

…

Vedek Onara was sitting alone singing softly to herself when the Data approached her.

"Number One." she smiled when she saw him. "Did your friend arrive safely?"

"My friend?" Data asked.

"I hope she didn't find her transfiguration too difficult? The Prophets were with her, she was safe in their hands but it can't have been easy." Onara said sympathetically. "It was inevitable you see, her death. Nothing could prevent it but the Prophets have made her an instrument of their will. She will realise that as she changes."

"Vedek, the locket you gave her?"

"That was my duty. I was charged by the Prophets to give her that locket. Everything is wrong, so wrong. So many of my people dead and those left are scattered across the sector. Bajor reduced to a barren wasteland unable to support life by the Dominion and the Prophet's Tears shattered by the Jem'Hadar. They called them icons of false Gods. The truth is the Dominion feared that we would use them to undo the harm they have done and that is exactly what she will do. She will be our avenging angel."

"How?"

"The locket contained shards of the Tears of the Prophets. She will become the living embodiment of them. The Oracle of the Prophets will emerge soon." Onara stated.

…

"So you're telling me the wormhole aliens turned her into some kind of weapon?" Reg asked incredulously as they sat in Data's quarters.

"She told me the locket contained Orb fragments and that would explain the unusual energy readings she produces." Data stated. "Theoretically they could have become fused with her when her organic body was destroyed."

"If Onara says she's changing, what's she changing into?" Geordi asked. "Some kind of new Orb?"

"Onara described her as an avenging angel, a living embodiment of the Tears of the Prophets." Data explained. "She called her The Oracle of the Prophets."

"We aren't talking about an experiment we can just shut down." Reg stated angrily and rose to his feet. "We're talking about Taryn. My Taryn not the Prophets tool. She's not a weapon, she's a living being and I won't allow her to be used or abused."

"Reg, maybe we need to trust that the Prophets know what they're doing. They aren't malevolent." Geordi reasoned.

"They took Ben Sisko away from his family and never gave him back." Reg stated. "I won't let them take her from me."

…

"Okay. I just need to store you in this memory module. I don't know if you'll be aware, but it won't be for any longer than absolutely necessary." Reg assured her.

"Reg it was me." Taryn stated.

"What was you?" he asked.

"I moved the warp coil." she stated.

"How can you..?"

"I see it all, other timelines, what was, what will be. It's all the same."

"Taryn…"

"I went back in time and moved the coil to save the ship. I was the intelligence at work. I had to do it because it was already done. I had to save the many at the expense of the few. I'm so sorry you had to see the people I couldn't save." she cupped his cheek in her hand.

"Taryn, we have to leave." He took her hand in his. "We have to get you and Data away from Starfleet and then we'll talk. Everything is arranged." He cupped the back of her head in his hand. She reached out and touched his chest softly, he was enveloped in a green light. He saw himself walking into sickbay. Doctor crusher was busy and directed him to a junior doctor with her back to him. His eyes widened as she turned and smiled then asked him how she could help. The green light flashed over him again and he was back on the holodeck with her.

"Now do you believe me?" she pleaded.

"I never doubted you." he assured her. "Although it was nice to relive the day we met." he whispered. "But it's really time to go." She nodded and he began the sequence on the terminal to save her program to the storage device.

He strode along the corridor with the cylinder safe in the bag on his shoulder and headed for the Shuttlebay. Data, Geordi and Dan were waiting as were the Captain and Dr Crusher.

"Take care and be sure to write." Beverly said as she hugged each of them in turn. "I know you're coming back but you get a hug too Data." she squeezed him tight.

"Good luck gentlemen." Picard smiled and shook their hands. "You will be sorely missed but I wish you well in all your future enterprises." he shook Data's hand as well. "Hurry back to us Commander." he said grasping his hand in both of his.

"I will sir." Data replied.

"Do they know?" Reg asked after the hatch was closed and Data took the pilots seat.

"They know I am not just your pilot." Data stated. "They know we plan to fake my death. It was the only way to ensure an investigation doesn't uncover our plan."

"They don't know about Taryn." Geordi stated.

"What about Taryn?" Dan asked.

"She's a hologram." Reg stated.

"You made a simulation of her?" Dan asked incredulously. "Reg that's sick, she died. You have to grieve for her and let her go."

"It's a little more complicated than that Dan." Geordi stated.

"We have a long flight to Starbase 192." Data stated. "Perhaps we should start at the beginning."

…

"This ship's not bad." Geordi told Nareev as he looked around the engine compartment. "She's no spring chicken but you can see she's loved."

"Are you sure this planet we're going to is safe?" Reg asked.

"I've been living and working out of Delnos V since I was a child. It's quiet, but a good place to live anonymously. Straveen hasn't found me yet, it's far from the Federation border and too insignificant for the Syndicate to bother with. Once you are set up I will be able to bring you supplies and no one will notice as I come and go frequently on trade runs. You will be safe."

"We appreciate your assistance." Data stated.

"Anything for my cousin, whatever form she takes." Nareev stated. "My brother and I owe her our lives."

" _Nareev, we have clearance to leave."_ Barsha's voice came over the com.

"If you're ready gentlemen you had better take seats in the cabin. This ship isn't as comfortable as you are accustomed to. Our inertial dampeners are a little…loved." Nareev warned.

"The shuttle got away okay Data?" Geordi asked Data as they buckled into their seats.

"Yes, I programmed it to fly an intercept course to the Enterprise then breach the core while sensors are clear. When Captain Picard goes looking for the wreckage he will find trace elements to match those in my construction and close the investigation."

"In other words you stole Kivas Fajo's idea." Geordi grinned. "You realise Andrews is going to kill us for going off script?"

"Andrews can go to hell." Data stated.

It was an uneventful if bumpy flight on Nareev's ship that took just under a week. Eventually they arrived at Delnos V.

"If this building does not suit you there are others available." Barsha explained. "I thought the basement would be perfect for a laboratory and the previous owner had holo-emitters fitted. The furniture is included."

"It seems ideal don't you think?" Reg asked the others who nodded.

"Structurally it is sound." Data confirmed, still looking and feeling a little strange in civilian clothing. Reg went to speak to the land agent who was waiting quietly in the next room with Nareev who negotiated a better price and the deal was struck. Once Reg had checked the home computer was in good condition he uploaded Taryn and activated her.

"It's okay." Reg grabbed her as she gasped and panicked.

"That was horrible." she mumbled into his chest. She looked up and smiled at the sight of her cousin.

"It's been too long Taryn." Nareev smiled as she hugged him.

"It has. I haven't seen you since Bylar smuggled you and Lural out of Barin Prime."

"This is my friend Barsha, she's my engineer and co-pilot." Nareev explained and Taryn shook her hand with a smile, then she looked at Data and Geordi earnestly. Her head tilted slightly.

"You should not be here." Taryn stated in a voice that was hers, yet unlike her own. "You both have a greater destiny to fulfil." She began to glow with rainbow coloured shimmering light.

"Woah, what's happening?" Dan asked and Data raised his hand to quiet him.

"Andrews is blinkered," she continued. "He thinks only of what he calls the greater good and thinks nothing of the lives that are lost, and they are lost. What he sees as redundant timelines are in fact divergent realities and the lives there are as precious as any other. He sees the loss of Bajor as merely collateral damage. We do not. Save Bajor and you will save the Federation but you will have to do it at the root, not by altering the course of a branch. Andrews can help you, but do not be afraid to follow your instincts."

"Can you help us return to 1891, to Waterloo Station?" Data asked.

She paused. "That way is barred. It is locked by means I cannot breach, but there may be a way. This one can help you," she pointed at Reg, then touched her own chest "and this one but I know not how or in which reality."

"Is there any way you can help us at all?" Geordi asked.

"I can send you back. Other lives were lost that day. Save them and the knot will begin to unravel." she explained.

"What will happen in this timeline when we depart?" Data asked.

"My role in this is complete." she stated.

"No, no it's…" Reg protested and stepped towards her.

"Be calm, this construct will remain. She is yours." she took Reg's hand gently. "It was never our intention to deprive you of your happiness." She turned back to Data. "This reality will continue. The beings you were before Andrews brought you here will return and live their lives as they are destined to but you will continue on your path. Persevere, you are gifted men and you will find the way."

"Does the reality we came from still exist?" Data asked.

"This construct would explain it using something called the First Law of Thermodynamics. Reality cannot be created or destroyed but it can be transformed." She smiled warmly at them. "It is time for you to begin your journey." She opened her arms and was enveloped in a green light that spread to cover Data and Geordi.

"Where are we?" Geordi asked, realising he was dressed in his 23rd century clothing but appeared to be in 19th century London.

"This is Whitechapel Lane," Data replied and drew a small phaser from his pocket. "Are you armed?"

"Oh yeah." Geordi replied and armed himself as he looked around. "There they are." he pointed to a distortion near a wall. "Three of them. They look like they're waiting for someone to come out of that pub."

"Set phasers to kill." Data stated.

Geordi nodded. "Usual method to get them to unshroud?" Data nodded his assent and they strode purposefully towards the aliens. "Hey you, lizard features. Yeah I'm talking to you, you ugly sons of...whatever the hell you hatched from." Geordi shouted and the Jem'Hadar turned to attack, their movement causing them to unshroud. It was a short fire fight. Data quickly despatched two of them and Geordi the third. "Now what?" Geordi stated and Andrews appeared behind them, his face stern.

"You idiots are the bane of my life." he stated angrily and stabbed at a button on his wrist with his finger.

"Okay, what's going on?" Geordi whispered to Data through cell bars. They were in a dark room with only a small light at roof level that cast little light. Geordi's eyes shifted and he saw it the room was filled with cages and looked more like a kennel than a prison. The stale air was filled with the stench of rotting food, faecal matter and the ammonia tang of urine.

"I do not know. I assume this is another possible future we created when we changed the past." Data replied as he looked around. The cells were small, too small for a man to lie down or stand up straight if he was over four feet tall.

Maniacal laughter came from a cell opposite. "Do you think it's day or night outside?" the voice giggled in the darkness. "Night or day? Hot or cold?"

"Barclay?" Geordi whispered.

The man laughed heartily. "I can't remember when I last heard that name. Could be years, aeons, a lifetime ago."

"How long have you been here?" Geordi asked.

"Longer than you." he replied and snorted with laughter. "A smaller box, a smaller box, whenever they sell me a smaller box." he sang and his hand emerged from the shadows and he ran his finger along the edge of the cage. "They're selling me again, the guard said… They have a special buyer…"

"Who is selling you?" Data asked with concern.

"I don't know, Green or Red, I've lost track. They're selling you too. The Starfleet Officer and the two heroes who came to liberate him. We're a job lot now." he laughed again.

The door latch shifted and a heavy door swung open. She was carrying a light as she entered.

"Taryn, thank God." Geordi stated.

" _How long have they been kept like this?_ " she hissed in perfect Orion.

" _What does it matter?_ " the man with her replied.

" _They stink. They're filthy. They cannot stand upright in these cages. This one fears the light._ " she waved the lantern at Reg and he recoiled in his tiny cage. " _I'm not paying full price for damaged goods._ "

" _The Tahedri agreed…_ "

" _The Tahedri will have you beheaded in front of your screaming children when I show him what you're giving him for his money. It's you I'm thinking of."_

" _Ten percent off the sale price._ " the man suggested.

" _Twenty-five_." she whispered, standing close to him.

" _Fifteen._ "

" _You want to give me twenty-five._ " she suggested, running a lazy finger down the slaver's chest.

" _That's less than I paid for him and the cost of capturing these two. Not to mention feeding them._ " he argued.

" _You call this rancid boar swill food?_ " She tilted her head to look at him appraisingly. " _Perhaps I'll just take them for free._ "

" _No female is that convincing._ " the Green Orion laughed.

" _He's laughing at you sister._ " It was Emlyn, Data was surprised to hear him speak. " _How foolish of him."_

" _Is it done brother?_ " she asked, her eyes not leaving those of the slaver.

" _All but this one._ " he replied. She smiled sweetly as the man was lifted from the ground by invisible hands, a choking sound emerging from his lips. " _Break his neck, I love to hear the sound._ " the Vulcan looking hybrid whispered in her ear.

" _This is my kill. I get to choose._ " she replied with a smile as she watched the enormous man wriggle as if hanged. " _I want to see him dance for me._ "

"That is not Taryn." Data whispered.

"What? But?" Geordi replied.

"Not the Taryn we know. She is telekinetic."

"Who is this Taryn you speak of?" the woman asked as she dropped her hanged man on the floor once he ceased to twitch.

"He thinks she's you sister." the man told her indicating Geordi. "He thinks you've come to save them. Although he is beginning to have doubts." He smiled at her.

"Save them?" she replied with a puzzled frown. Their cages opened suddenly. "Help him." she said with a tilt of her head in Barclay's direction. "Our ship is outside." She unclipped a scarf from her robes and held it out with both hands as Data and Geordi helped Reg to his feet between them. "Let me cover your eyes Commander, the sun is high in the sky." she placed the silky fabric over his head like a veil. "This way." she stated and swept from the room.

They walked along a dark corridor and out into a bright courtyard filled with bodies. Men dressed similarly to the slaver, each of them still clutching the pommel of a blade that was plunged into their chests to the hilt as though they all suddenly chose to commit ritual suicide.

" _You always make such a mess Aedax._ " the woman chided as she lifted her robe and stepped around a puddle of green blood on the way to the gangway.

" _Forgive me Stirba._ " her brother smirked as he walked alongside the three officers. In the light they could see he was finely but plainly dressed. His sister was dressed in what appeared to be a collection of diaphanous scarves that were held in place by the ornate silver choker at her neck and the matching bracelets that circled her upper arms. Her raven hair was held back from her face in a silver clasp and cascaded down her back in curls that fell to her waist.

" _Bathe them, shave them if they wish and find them clean clothing_." Stirba ordered her handmaidens as they entered the ship and the hatch closed. " _The Tahedri will be furious if we bring this stench into her palace_." she looked at Barclay appraisingly as she poured a chalice of wine. "Your friend has been confined too long. Hopefully a soak in our bath will soothe his muscles. You are all of value to us and you will be cared for. Please don't make yourselves more trouble than you are worth." she advised them. "You've seen what my twin and I are capable of and we're currently the least of your worries."

…

"No!" Barclay protested as a Green serving girl tried to remove his clothing. "Stay away from me!" He held up a hand as he backed away and crouched in the corner whimpering. He was a mess, his hair and beard was long and matted and his clothing in rags. The girl looked at Data and Geordi and her fellow handmaidens in turn with concern on her face.

"Barclay?" Geordi approached him slowly. "Reg? It's me Geordi."

"Geordi?" he turned his dark eyes to him, his lower lip quivering.

"Yeah and Data." Geordi took hold of his arm. "These girls don't want to hurt you. They just want to help you clean up." He pointed. "Look, there's a bath over there."

"That's not a bath, it's a pool." Reg stated. "They trick you, they want to drown us." he whispered.

"We won't let anyone drown you." Geordi smiled. "They can't drown Data can they?"

Reg slowly emerged from the corner. "I can undress myself, wash myself." he told the young woman proudly.

"As you wish." she replied subserviently with a bow of her head. "I would like to tend to your hair, your beard?" she offered.

"I'll think about it." he replied distrustfully.

Geordi nudged Data as Reg removed his shirt, his back was covered in scars. Lash marks. Some old and faded, some fresh. He looked thin, almost emaciated, his ribs, spine and shoulder blades standing out under his skin. He eased himself into the water adjacent to them, coyly still wearing the remains of his underpants, removing them only when he was under the water. He panicked momentarily when a naked Green Woman approached Geordi with a blade in her hand.

"Do you wish me to shave you?" she asked him softly.

"Uh, okay." Geordi agreed.

"Your skin is so smooth." another told Data as she began to wash him with a soft sponge. "What lotions or unguents do you apply?"

Reg jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "May I bathe your back?" his handmaiden asked softly. He nodded but still looked fearful. "I have salves and ointments for your wounds. You are fortunate, they do not appear to be infected." she told him as she gently sponged his back. "We are here to care for you. Not harm you. You are no longer in the hands of slavers."

"W…what are you planning to do with us?" Reg asked nervously.

"That is for the Tahedri to decide." she replied. "Are you a typical Human male?" she asked.

"W…what?" he asked, his eyes wide as he moved his hands over his groin.

"I have never seen a Human before. Aside from Prince Aedax, but he is only part Human. I wondered if his hair was a Vulcan trait?"

"His hair?" Reg asked.

"On his chest and…lower. Orion men are smooth, like him." she flicked her eyes at Data. "Many do not have hair on their heads."

"I don't know, I can't say I pay a lot of attention to other men's chests and…lower." he replied.

"You like girls?" she asked.

"Er…yes. I like girls." He shifted uncomfortably and crossed his legs, trying to look relaxed and failing.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Um Barclay, Reginald Barclay." he replied.

"Reg-in-ald. Barclee." she tilted her head and smiled. "Your names are strange."

"What's yours?" he asked.

"Shitti." she replied.

"Shi…er right. Okay." he stifled a laugh.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"It's just in our language…it's a pretty name." he told her with a smirk. "How old are you?" he asked realizing she looked rather young.

"In Earth years I am fourteen."

"WHAT?!" Reg shrieked. "You shouldn't be naked in a bath with naked men at fourteen!" he protested.

"I am fully trained. I began my service at ten, I am quite experienced." the girl said brightly.

"You mean you…when you were ten? You…you're…"

"I am a handmaiden, trained to serve and care for others. It is my sworn duty."

"Your duty?" Reg was looking increasingly alarmed. "You took some kind of oath to have sex with people at ten years old?"

"No I don't do that. I am not a courtesan. I was not pretty enough. Only the most beautiful girls are selected to train as courtesans and their training is much longer and more intensive." she replied matter of factly as she inspected his hair. "This will require treatment. You have Lora Fleas."

"Fleas?! I have fleas?"

"They are rife in the slave camps. Nasty little things but we have a medicated…you wash your hair with it?"

"Shampoo?" he suggested.

"Shampoo." She smiled. "Shampoo." she repeated and giggled, amused at how the word sounded. She worked on him for nearly an hour. Washing, scrubbing and cutting his hair. "You are sitting straighter already. I took you for an old man when you came aboard." she said as she carefully finished shaving him.

"Uh okay." he replied.

"Under all that matted fur you are quite handsome." she told him with a smile.

…

The table was filled with a variety of food, some rich morsels, some more bland. It was clear their hosts were endeavouring to both pique their appetites and provide them with simple, easy to digest nutrition to assist their recovery rather than provide a lavish feast. They were dressed in loose fitting pants and shirts that wrapped across their bodies and tied at the side. The clothing was much like nightwear that was commonly worn by those from the Federation. Comfortable and loose with a v-neck and long sleeves and simple slippers for their feet.

"Our girls wished me to share their appreciation at your gentlemanly behaviour. You'd be surprised how many off-worlders assume all Green Women are whores to be molested at will and how few know the difference between a whore and a courtesan trained in the arts of love, besides the fee." Stirba told them as they sat eating. "If you are hungry, eat Commander. There is no trick. No one will feed you rotting meat and laugh at you because you are so starving you eat it." she told Reg earnestly and drained her cup.

"You…you know about that?" he asked softly.

"You are not the first people I have liberated from a slaver. What I know about their practices would surprise you." she replied sympathetically and poured herself some more wine. "Try the broth. It is boar meat, root vegetables and pulses, nothing sinister I assure you."

"Liberated?" Geordi looked at her, "Is that what you call what you did to that man?"

"If you have pity to waste on men who trade in sentient beings as though they were farm animals bred for food and treat them with less dignity then feel free Commander La Forge. I don't. That man or someone like him whipped your colleague until he bled, starved him and kept him sitting in his own filth in a box too small for a hound. Your friend is lucky not to be mutilated. Had the slavers the intelligence to realize where his value lies they would have deprived him of everything else to make him more compliant. Genitals, hands, feet. I'm sure you witnessed many such disfigurements?" Reg nodded to confirm this as he ladled some broth into a bowl and sniffed it. "That man deserved everything he got and more, they all did." She sipped from her cup.

"Maybe you didn't have to enjoy it so much." Geordi reasoned.

"A girl has to get her thrills where she can." She flashed a wolfish grin.

"Princess…" Reg began as he tried some broth. "How long was I held captive?"

She drummed her fingers on the tabletop, as though considering whether or not to answer. "A little over eight Earth months." she admitted.

"It felt longer." he whispered.

"You should be proud. Few off-worlders survive that long in the slave camps. The privations, wounds getting infected, disease…" she stated.

"So why did you wait until now to…is this a rescue?" Geordi asked.

"Let's just say it's in our interests to keep you alive and well. As for how long we waited to make our move, it's simply because you were about to be in the hands of a Caj that we are currently engaged in a blood feud with and before that you were not." she explained. "A matter of killing two birds with one stone so to speak."

"So you are not the buyer the slavers were expecting." Data stated.

She gave him a wry smile. "No, they will be arriving anytime now to find you gone and our second ship will have removed the remaining slaves from the encampment."

"So you stole them to slave for you instead?" Geordi stated.

"You have a low opinion of us Commander La Forge." Prince Aedax stated as he entered the room with a female far more scantily clad than the handmaidens clutched to his side. "While the three of you are a valued commodity, they will be washed and their wounds treated, admittedly not with the tender loving care you received from our staff. They will be fed, clothed, billeted and rehabilitated. If they desire it we will arrange transport to anywhere they wish to go." He sat and pulled the giggling female onto his lap and fed her a small berry by hand.

"The Caj Barin do not keep slaves. We pay those who work for us a fair wage." Stirba stated.

"Yet we are a commodity." Data reminded her.

"If Starfleet give us what we want you will be returned to them safe and sound." Aedax stated.

"So we're hostages?" Geordi stated.

"That is a little strong. You are safer with us than with any of the other Caju and we are certain the forthcoming negotiations will prove mutually beneficial." Aedax stated.

The Green princess raised her hand almost imperceptibly and a handmaiden appeared at her side. "Perhaps one of you could show Mr Barclay to his quarters? He seems both overwhelmed and exhausted. See to it he has food available should he need it."

"Perhaps I should go along?" Geordi suggested as Reg looked at him with a panicked expression.

"Perhaps we should all retire." Data added.

"As you wish." Stirba smiled. "Secure areas of the ship will be locked to you but feel free to roam and enjoy our amenities. Consider yourselves our guests."

Their quarters took the form of a suite with a spacious living area and three connecting bedrooms. "Everything you'd expect from an Orion party barge." Geordi stated as he strolled around. "But no showers." he noted as he peered into the bathroom and found only a toilet and hand basin. "They're clearly into communal bathing around here. She's right Reg, you look beat. Why don't you take that room?" He nodded and shambled away, still finding standing upright a strain.

"Data, what the hell went wrong this time and how come Taryn is called Stirba and is telekinetic and evil?" Geordi whispered. "And Emlyn is Aedax and can talk?"

"I do not know. Obviously whatever caused the neurological damage to the Prior twins never occurred."

"For someone unaffected by alcohol she certainly knocks it back. What's all that about?" Geordi asked.

"She always drank from the same carafe and it was never shared. I am uncertain that she was drinking wine." Data intoned.

"If not wine then what?" Geordi asked.

"She began to perspire far more than would be normal for the ambient temperature of the room prior to each time she drank."

"She has a fever. She's sick?" Geordi asked.

…

Aedax placed his hand on his sister's forehead tenderly. " _The treatment is not working my love. Let me assist you._ "

" _No!_ " She pulled away from him. " _Death would be better than that._ " she clutched the back of a chair, shivering with fever.

" _Such a proud Little Flower._ " he ran a lazy finger over her collarbone suggestively.

" _Such a vile little pervert._ " she hissed. He back-handed her across the face and knocked her to the floor.

" _Don't forget you are also just a commodity to our mother. One with obligations to fulfil._ " he shouted.

" _If you ever strike me again you had better hope I don't get back up or the neck you hear snap will be your own Aedax._ " she warned coldly, bleeding from her lip. " _If the Tahedri of the Caj Norai were female you would be the one traded like a slave and I would remain Tira's heir."_

" _If you defy our mother she will punish you. You will marry and produce an heir for the Caj Norai. Now, not in seven years time._ "

 _Author's note:_

 _I don't own The Stepford Wives_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"F..forgive me. I didn't know the bath would be in use." Reg stated averting his gaze.

Stirba smiled at his shyness. "No need to apologise Commander Barclay. I was about to get out." she stood and walked shamelessly up the steps towards him.

"You don't bathe with handmaidens?" Reg asked, frantically trying to make small talk with the naked green woman.

"No, I never do. Would you like me to call them for you?" she approached him, the water glistening on her skin, her hair wet.

"No, I just wanted to soak for a while." he swallowed nervously and clenched his jaw.

"Your back is still giving you pain?" she asked, standing close and gazing up at him.

"Er…yes." he replied. "A little."

"Your cheeks are turning red." she noted. "Is that what they call blushing?"

"Um…yes I suppose." he admitted, trying to look everywhere other than at the nubile body that was painfully close to his.

"My brother does not blush." she stated. "But then he knows no shame I suppose." She moved over to the seat and picked up a robe. "I will cover myself if my body embarrasses you. I had heard that Humans have difficulty differentiating between nudity and sex but you are the first full Humans I have met. I now have a greater understanding of the word 'shy' and I thank you. It isn't a concept easy for us to grasp. I was unaware it would be so…endearing." She smiled as she slipped on the robe. "Come over here?" she held out her hand to him.

"Why? Wh..wh…what are you going to do?" he asked nervously.

She smiled. "I was going to show you the controls for the bath."

"Oh, of course." He followed her over to the panel.

"This is the recycler that cleanses the water. This selects the substance you wish to bathe in. There are many options, mud, sand, even liquid plasma to name a few but you may prefer this setting, the minerals in the water can be soothing and simulate a volcanic hot spring. This is the temperature control."

"You had it set very cold." he frowned. "What happened to your lip? It's bleeding." he reached out and turned her face with her chin gently.

"I tripped and bumped into a doorway, I am so clumsy." She turned away. "The replicator is over there for clothing and towels. It is a Federation device. Enjoy your bath Commander." she said and left hurriedly, wiping her lower lip with her thumb and inspecting her blood.

…

"How was your bath, did it help?" Geordi asked Reg as he returned and sat on a couch opposite.

"A cold shower might have been a better idea if we had one." he replied. "I lived in one cage or another for eight months and now I'm elbow deep in bare green bosoms. Is Data still exploring the ship?"

Geordi nodded. "The handmaidens wouldn't leave you alone huh? Fascinated by your Human male anatomy again?" Geordi grinned. "I might take another bath myself. I quite enjoyed being pampered. I can see why women like spa programs so much."

"No." He smiled shyly and blushed. "I walked in on our high born lady in the tub."

"What did she say?" Geordi asked incredulously.

"Surprisingly little. She just walked up to me stark naked and asked about blushing. Apparently we Humans have problems differentiating between nudity and sex."

"Did you look?" Geordi asked.

"Of course I looked, the woman's body is incredible. Her breasts are so pert and luscious they may actually defy the laws of physics." Reg told him. "Do Orion's usually take cold baths?" he frowned.

"Not that I'm aware of. The girls with us didn't seem to mind it hot." Geordi pointed out. "She took a cold bath?"

"Ice cold, and I think someone hit her. She's got a split lip. She said she was just clumsy when I asked about it."

"She can kill with a thought, who would dare hit her?" Geordi wondered.

"Oh, boy we're in big trouble." Reg stated and began pacing, "I didn't think of it till now but I heard about her. The woman who can kill with a thought. They talk about them in the slave camps. They call her the Enchantress and she's…lethal, her brother must be the one they call the Puppeteer. The slavers are terrified of them, they don't even know if they're alive or m…monsters of some sort, legends, folk tales they tell their children to get them to behave. Eat your greens or the Enchantress will kill your father without leaving a mark. Mind your mother or the Puppeteer will play with you like a doll." He wrung his hands nervously. "I knew we were going from the frying pan into the fire. I should have stayed in my box in that hellhole. I'd be better off."

"Reg, no way were you better off there. You were going out of your mind and starving to death." Geordi argued.

"Y…you don't get it. He can alter how you think…."

"He can't alter how Data thinks with telepathy, and she doesn't seem to be cruel aside from when she killed the slave master. They want to exchange us for…I don't know…something and as long as we have value they'll keep us alive."

"What if they want weapons? Or something Starfleet can't give them?" Reg asked desperately. "We'll be worth nothing."

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Geordi stated. "Believe me, Data and I have been in tougher and much less comfortable scrapes."

…

"Commander." she hissed softly in the dark. "Wake up Mr Barclay, I need your help?" she pleaded.

"What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I require you to impregnate me." Stirba whispered. "I cannot take it any longer, the burning is too much."

"The, what? What are you talking about? I can't get you pregnant, you're…You're burning up, are you alright?"

"No, it is the Blood Fever. The only time I am able to conceive and I will not bear the young of an ignorant Green boar. I wish to see intelligence in the eyes of my child, sensitivity. Not the dull stare of a half-wit." she climbed astride him, pulled free her robe at the shoulder and cast it aside.

"This…look this isn't a good idea." he protested as the naked Green Woman ground against him. "I'm not exactly the best genetic material…I have dormant genes and…God you're beautiful…" he grasped her hair and pulled her into a desperate kiss. "No, this is wrong…" he pushed her to arm's length. "I can't take advantage like this."

"My brother desires me…the very thought disgusts me." she wept. "I am to marry a man who repulses me, my mother has decreed it and I would rather die than accept either of those options." she whispered, her lip quivering.

"Did your brother hit you?" Reg asked her softly and touched her lip gently with his finger.

She nodded. "When I refused his advances. His cruelty is not limited to the slavers and those we are in feud with. He is twisted, like our mother. They want to trade you all for my father. He's a powerful man and my mother despises him. They plan to torture and kill him but I bear him no ill will. My mother mated with him of her own volition and I would not exist were it not for his seed."

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Because I have no one else to turn to." she sobbed and he sat and pulled her into his arms.

"I'll talk to the others. Maybe you could ask for asylum? You're part Human, I don't see how the Federation could refuse." he suggested and moved a lock of hair from her eyes.

"Then you'll help me?" she sniffed.

"How can I refuse a damsel in distress." he smiled. She kissed him softly on the lips and hers felt scalding hot. She pushed him back on the bed and pulled open his top, baring his chest.

"I know how much you want me." she whispered, chewing her lip. "I can feel it here…" he gasped as she tore open his pants and pulled him free. "It's in your eyes…"

"Oh boy…" he gulped as she clasped his hand to her breast and writhed against him. Massaging his cock with her other hand. "Oh boy, oh boy…"

"I can give you pleasure more intense than you ever thought possible. Not just your body but your mind. I can link my soul to yours and we can join in ways more intimate and deep than you have ever experienced. You won't know where you end and I begin." She sighed and threw her head back as she rubbed against him. "My Vulcan blood is on fire, yours can be too."

"It can?" he asked, gazing up at her. "How?"

"I can ignite your blood and make you burn for me as much as I burn for you." she whispered. "But you have to tell me that you want me. I desire an equal, not a slave."

"Please?" he pleaded, overwhelmed by the closeness of her body and her scent, grasping her waist. "I need to be inside you…"

"You'll give me your seed?" she asked.

"I will, I'll die if I don't have you." he whimpered. "Please?" she rose and she mounted him in one fluid movement with a soft breathless moan. "Oh fuck, you're so tight." he wept.

"Should I stop?" she asked him breathlessly, her hands pressed against his chest.

"No don't stop, don't ever stop." he pleaded.

"Do I feel good to you?" she asked as she rocked her pelvis.

"Yes." he cried, his back arched and his eyes shut tight. "You feel like heaven, divine. God don't stop."

"Look at me?" she asked softly. "Look at me, my beautiful man?" he looked up into her eyes. "Are you ready to go deeper?"

"I…I can't I..I..I'm sheathed to the hilt." he replied desperately.

She smiled gently at him and grasped his head in her hands. She kissed him with furious intensity, her breasts pressed against his chest. He caressed the velvety soft skin of her back, utterly lost in the sensation of her body. Suddenly she gasped and threw her head back violently and he felt as though he was ripped from his body and into hers.

 _"_ _Sweet Little Flower." Edara the Wise smiled down at her tiny baby granddaughter as she held her in her arms. "One day all this will be yours." she whispered into her ear and kissed her forehead. She glanced at the boy-child still in the crib with fear in her eyes. "I will get you your own crib, it is wrong for you to have to share with that…thing._ " _she stated coldly. She winced at the images that came unbidden into her mind. Horrors that came from her own blood, the monstrous thing that had shared a womb with her Little Flower._

 _"_ _How could you Mother?" Tira spat. "That honour should have been granted to Aedax."_

 _Edara set her jaw at her daughter's slight, as Tahedri she was to be called that or by her given name by blood relatives, any other appellation was an insult. "It is for me to decide what honour is granted and to whom. Lural is the Master of the Chalices and that is final."_

 _"_ _My son is the only one of your grandchildren without a title. Did you think I would not notice? Her ice grey eyes flashed with anger._

 _"_ _I have made arrangements for the twins to visit Vulcan." Edara stated coldly. "T'Pandra has offered to train them, they would both benefit from mental discipline."_

 _"_ _I forbid it. I am their mother, not you." Tira argued._

 _"_ _You let them run wild like beasts of the forest. You are no kind of mother!" Edara shouted and the hall fell silent. "Either the children go to Vulcan or you go to the Homeworld and I will raise them as I see fit."_

 _"_ _I will see you dead before you take my children from me." Tira spat as she stood. She grabbed a tiny arm in each hand and left the hall, pulling her twins behind her._

 _"_ _But I want to sit with Edara." Stirba protested._

 _"_ _Shut up." Tira screamed and back handed her across the face. She fell to the floor crying and sobbing. Tira grabbed her wrist and dragged her the length of the corridor, screaming on her knees as she begged her mother to let her get up, promising she would do as she was told._

 _"_ _Wake up." Tira whispered as she woke her children. "You need to see something important, come with me." The twins sleepily rubbed their eyes and clambered out of their beds. "Do you know what this is?"_

 _"_ _It's a dancerknife." Aedax replied with a grin. Stirba glared at him. She knew he'd pulled the answer from her mind and beat her to it. He always did. Tira activated the energy blade and Aedax watched transfixed as she turned the blue image and let the dim light flash across its surface. "Is it sharp?" he asked, raising his small hand to touch it._

 _"_ _It is extremely sharp, don't touch. The blade is for our enemies Aedax. We will make them bleed. We'll make them all bleed. Follow me." she instructed and they obediently trailed behind her, holding hands._

 _They walked from room to room, leaving carnage in their wake as Tira plunged her blade into each slumbering form again and again, her hands stained with emerald blood. Stirba gripped her brother's hand with tears running down her face as she watched the bloody slaughter of her cousins, uncles and aunts. Every living being who bore the Barin name, everyone she loved until they found an empty room. Tira screamed with frustration and anger and ran to her mother's quarters. Aedax dragging his weeping twin by the hand with a smile on his lips._

 _"_ _Where are they?" she screamed, covered in blood. "Nareev and Lural. What did you do with them?"_

 _"_ _Tira, by the Nine Hells what have you done?" Edara whispered, her expression horrified. She paled further as the twins followed her into the room, their faces and clothing spattered with blood. "You made them watch?" she asked incredulously._

 _"_ _I've ensured my claim to your title." Tira grinned. "You will die without declaring an heir and power will pass to me."_

 _"_ _Stirba, you are the Tahedri. My chosen heir, do not let your mother convince you otherwise." Edara hissed as she wrestled her daughter for the blade and drew one of her own. Tira recoiled with a cut to her cheek and the two women lunged together in a final embrace. Edara fell to the floor, blood coursing from her chest. "Little Flower…" she whispered, her hand outstretched to her granddaughter._

 _"_ _She didn't mean it child. I am the Tahedri. The woman was mad, insane." She pressed the dancerblade into her outstretched hand. "She killed her entire family. She would have killed us too. Remember that." Tira chewed her lip thoughtfully. "We need to find those boys. She may have sent men after them, to kill them." She turned to her children and grinned._

 _"_ _You have found them?" Tira looked up as she signed papers. "Where are they?"_

 _"_ _The captain of the ship assigned to transport them back to school on the Homeworld panicked when he heard about the massacre. He feared death should they be found on board if it was a coup and sold them to slavers."_

 _"_ _Slavers?" Stirba looked up from her book and approached her mother's desk on hearing the word._

 _"_ _Did he tell you which slavers?" Tira asked her advisor._

 _"_ _Yes Tahedri." the man replied._

 _"_ _Go to them. Kill the masters and release the slaves, find those princes." Tira ordered._

 _"_ _And if they have sold them?" the advisor asked._

 _"_ _Find out who to and kill them anyway. They must be found. Round up the crew from the ship, bring them here. I want them put to death by chuulak in the city square. People must know that selling a prince means a slow agonizing death." Tira intoned._

 _She wept brokenly, sitting in the filth of the cage in her fine robes, the man's head cradled in her lap. She gazed at his mutilated body, dead, cold and left to rot. The slavers had left four bowls of slop and ignored the fact he was dead or dying for days._

 _"_ _By the Thousand Gods Stirba." Aedax hissed in her ear. "He was a threat to us. He had a valid claim as none of us are legitimate."_

 _"_ _He was our cousin!" she wailed. "We played together as children, shared the same wet nurse!"_

 _"_ _He was foolish enough to get sold, it's his own fault. Master of the Chalices." Aedax spat on Lural's corpse. "Rot with your effeminate brother in the Nine Hells. Neither of them were worthy of your tears sister." he stalked away._

 _Stirba looked up at one of the handmaidens. "See to it he is prepared for burial on our return to Barin Prime. I want him buried with full honours beside Nareev. Remember he is a prince." she instructed and left him in their care. As she walked away she savagely wiped the tears from her eyes. She would avenge the death of her cousins on all the slavers. She would unleash her bloodthirsty twin on them and would never stop until every market was a graveyard and all the slaves were free._

"I won't let them hurt you, I promise." she whispered as she lay in his arms with their legs entwined. "I'll return you to Starfleet, whatever happens. The others too."

"Given what we shared you should be more worried about yourself." Reg whispered and kissed her forehead tenderly. "You should be the Tahedri, not your mother or your twin."

"Don't say that. Don't even think it. He'll kill you if he finds out you know the truth." She cupped his cheek in her hand. "I never meant for you to see those…horrors."

"It's alright. God knows what you got from me. My parents weren't exactly perfect either." he stated. "So which are you? The evil bitch who smiled as a slaver gasped his last or the sweet creature who shielded my eyes from the sun? Who is the real Stirba the Enchantress?"

"Perhaps I am both." she whispered.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, but I really hope I didn't get you pregnant."

"Why?" she asked looking hurt.

"Don't get me wrong, under different circumstances I'd be thrilled to become a father but…How are you going to explain it to your new husband? What if the baby looks Human?"

"I'm half Human." she argued.

"Then there are the dates…"

"I doubt he can even count. Besides, I'm not marrying him." she stated.

"They'll kill you." he looked at her earnestly.

"Then I shall die." she replied and stood. He watched as she walked around the bed and picked up her robe.

"Do you have to leave?" he asked softly.

"Yes. I do." she replied with a smile and fastened her clothing at the shoulder.

"Did…did this mean anything to you? Or was it just the pon farr?"

She kissed him tenderly. "It will always mean something my beautiful man." she whispered. "I will remember you until the day I die and we will always share the bond we made."

"Just out of interest, how many bonds have you made exactly?" She grinned wolfishly as she slipped from the room. "Great, I don't feel used at all." he muttered sarcastically.

…

"Reg, I don't know how to put this," Geordi began, "you smell of really weird sex funk."

"Do I?" he replied with alarm as he put down his mug of coffee. He sniffed his armpit and his shirt and sneered. "I need to bathe."

"You are exhibiting the combined aromas of a sexually mature Green Orion female and a Vulcan female in the advanced stages of pon farr." Data stated. "That explains her perspiration."

"Yeah, and the cold baths." Geordi grinned at Reg. "You dog Barclay." he punched his upper arm repeatedly in a friendly way. "Did you sort her out? Is her pon farr resolved?"

"It seemed to be when she left. She wanted me to knock her up and I may well have." he admitted. "She's the rightful Tahedri, I'm not supposed to say it or think it but it slipped out."

"That's too much information Reg." Geordi looked appalled.

"Telepathically, I don't mean…" Reg scowled. "Nothing could slip out of that, it's like a flea's ear…"

"Please, just…stick to the point." Geordi pleaded.

"Her mother and brother are…nuts. Tira slaughtered her entire family and took the twins along to watch when they were five and blamed it on the previous Tahedri. Two cousins, Nareev and Lural escaped and somehow ended up passed around the slave markets for years until they both died. Stirba vowed to free all the slaves in revenge, but she only kills the master and she never draws blood, she's seen more than enough to last a lifetime. Tira plans to marry her off as part of some trade negotiations and make her favourite boy Tahedri, apparently she secures his loyalty with sex. We are to be traded for the Judge Advocate General. He's the twins father and Tira wants revenge."

"What for?" Geordi asked.

"Unpaid child support, how do I know? The woman is psychotic." Reg replied. "Oh and the Puppeteer's telepathy requires line of sight, as does her telekinesis although they can use a visual com link."

"You're like that spy. You seduce women and they tell you everything." Geordi slapped Reg on the shoulder.

"Hardly, she pinned me to the bed and practically raped me. Got me begging to let me have her before I knew it. She's…phenomenal. She says she wants to help us. I offered to help her ask for asylum with the Federation."

"Can we trust her?" Data asked him.

"I don't know. I think I was just a convenient lay. A better option to her brother or a green thug. He was the one who hit her, the brother. He wants to…" he pulled a face.

"Oh great. We're caught up in some weird incestuous love triangle." Geordi stated.

"I'm going to have a bath I think. I'll see you later." Reg stated, draining his coffee.

"Well that answers a lot of questions. Maybe we should bring this Barclay along to every timeline and get him to make a mating bond then tell us all he found out. It would be more use than waiting for Andrews to show up." Geordi sipped his coffee. "Where is that ass-wipe anyway?"

…

Reg walked into the bathroom and smiled. "You really should lock the door." he suggested.

"Perhaps I've been waiting for the right man to walk in on me." Stirba smiled as she sponged herself.

"You look like Cleopatra in that bath." he told her with a smile.

"Who is that, a former lover?" she asked.

"No, she was the Queen of Egypt thousands of years ago, she was Pharaoh, a position usually held by men, a very powerful woman. She used to bathe in ass's milk."

The princess looked scandalised. "Do you mean…excrement?"

"No, not that kind of ass." He laughed, "an ass is…like a donkey, a type of horse. A quadruped beast of burden."

She nodded to indicate she understood. "And Egypt is a planet in your solar system?"

"It's a country on Earth. Back then the Human race was confined to one planet."

"Only one planet." her eyes widened. "Was she beautiful?"

"She was said to be, but what made her most attractive was her charm, her wit and the sweet tone of her voice."

"Was she a seductress?" Stirba asked as he paced around the sunken bath.

"Oh yes. She was married to both her brothers in turn, which was the custom in the Egyptian royal family at the time as they believed they were their gods incarnate and wanted to keep their bloodlines pure. They both ended up dead, that's how she became Pharaoh. She was the lover of Julius Caesar, the Emperor of the Rome and had a son with him, then when he was assassinated she moved on to his General Mark Antony and had twins with him, a boy and a girl and later another boy. She was renowned as a lover."

"What happened to her?" she asked.

"They say that following Mark Antony's death she held a poisonous snake called an asp to her bosom and received a fatal bite."

"Oh." Stirba replied and blinked. "How pathetic. Ritual suicide is part of our culture but not for reasons like that." she looked up at him. "Why are you just standing there? Don't you want to join me?"

"I didn't like to presume." He smiled shyly.

"I doubt Julius Caesar or Mark Antony needed to be asked twice." She smiled seductively.

"Which am I, Caesar or Mark Antony?" he asked as he jumped in fully clothed, making her giggle.

"You're a military man, you must be Mark Antony." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Unless you're the asp and you plan to bite my tits."

"Tempting." he admitted and kissed her deeply. "I wondered if last night was a one-time thing."

"Did you want it to be?" she whispered.

"I could die a happy man if it were." he admitted. "I don't know how I feel about you. It's all happened so fast."

"I know what you mean. You please me and it's been a long time since I experienced the joy I did with you last night. If ever." she admitted. "You're a little over dressed for the bath." She smiled and helped him pull off his shirt. "That's better." she said as he removed his pants. "Turn around." she whispered and he reluctantly complied. "What did they do to you?" she gently ran her hands over the scars on his back.

"You said yourself it could've been worse." He forced a smile. She kissed his shoulder softly and began to weep. "Hey." he said and turned to face her, taking her in his arms. "You saved me, you have no reason to feel bad." He kissed her forehead and cradled her head against his shoulder.

"How touching. The noble Stirba the Enchantress acting as a handmaiden to a Human slave." Aedax stated. "How the mighty have fallen."

"It's my honour to bathe such a man." she stated. "He makes you seem a j'hordak by comparison."

"Does he? I'm a shadow compared to him?" He smirked as Reg grasped the back of her neck and plunged her head under the water. She struggled frantically against him, grabbing at his arm. She forced him away with her mind, slamming him into the side of the bath and rose from the water gasping, throwing back her hair and glaring at her brother with fury in her eyes and she began to glow. Her skin incandescent.

" _Sister, it was a joke_." Aedax stated, looking fearful at the dark expression on her face and the fact she was bathed in luminous green light.

" _No one is laughing_." she replied in her mother tongue as she walked towards him in the water slowly. " _I warned you what would happen if you struck me again_."

" _I didn't strike you. No one struck you_." he backed away nervously.

" _No, you tried to make my lover drown me_." she intoned, " _Mother will be furious. Who will she whore out to Norai if you kill me Aedax? Perhaps she'll turn you into a gelding and send you off to fuck him? Maybe you could shit a baby out of your pansy backside for him?_ " She continued approaching him. " _Does my body excite you as you hoped brother? Is your tiny cock pulsating with joy? Or is it wilting with fear like the limp maggot the handmaidens laugh about behind your back?"_

Aedax stopped as he bumped into someone. Hands grasped his jaw and the back of his head and twisted. Reg let him fall to the floor dispassionately. " _Are you alright? Did I hurt you my sweet?_ " Reg asked her in Orion and took her hand to help her step out of the bath. He grimaced at the sight of his finger marks starting to bruise on her neck.

" _It is nothing._ " she waved it off as her brilliance began to fade. " _You speak_ Kolari _?_ "

" _Only Low_ Kolari, _not much need for the High language among slaves._ "

" _You have the sweet lyrical voice for it my beautiful man._ " She cupped his cheek in her hand. " _I will teach you. You will need it as my consort._ "

" _Who says I'll have you?_ " Reg took her in his arms and kissed her, her twin dead on the ground between their feet. " _The water will be getting cold and I did come here for a bath._ " He swept her off her feet, stepped over the corpse and carried her down into the water.

" _You shouldn't be carrying me if your back pains you."_ she told him.

" _You're light as a feather._ " he said with a smile as he released her legs and held her against him. " _You're the most beautiful_ korgasant _I have ever seen._ " he whispered and stroked her cheek with his hand.

She laughed. "I don't think that's what you meant to say. Korgasant means tentacled-mauler. It's a predatory animal on Daros IV."

"I meant to say 'creature' but you are a predator. It kind of fits." He smiled and kissed her lips tenderly. "Does it bother you that he's still here?" I'll get rid of him…"

"No." she looked at her brother's body, his neck so twisted his dead green eyes seemed to be looking straight at them. "I want him to watch us fuck." Her eyes flashed with delight as she ran her hands over his chest. "Unless it will put you off?" she asked with a concerned expression.

Reg tilted his head considering her words. "You are Orion to the core aren't you my sweet Enchantress?"

"We call ourselves Kolari, F'deraxt'la." He snorted, the Orion word for Federation was very similar to one that meant someone born of three parents, all of whom were blood relatives. It was a thinly veiled insult of course, and typical of the Kolari sense of humour. He pulled her closer and his lips met hers in a ferocious deep kiss. He slid his hands down her back to her firm bottom and lifted her higher in the water then pressed her against the marble side of the bath. She moaned with pleasure, grasping frantically at his shoulders, his back as he slammed into her again and again.

"Don't stop, please don't stop?" she begged, her face rapt with pleasure as she gazed into his eyes, her arms around his neck.

…

"Anyone else you'd like me to kill and throw at your feet?" Reg asked as he fastened her robe at the back of her neck. "I could use the practice. I'm out of form. I used to get one eighty degrees out of a neck every time." He frowned as he looked at the body on the floor and flexed his shoulder, squeezing it with his hand.

"Only one at present, but she's mine to kill." she replied as she clasped bracelets to her upper arms. "You're surprisingly good at it."

"I'm my mother's son." he smiled as he put on a shirt. "Starfleet advanced combat training is certainly useful at times."

"Indeed," she smirked. "It's not the first time I've seen someone kill a man with their bare hands but I've never seen anyone do it stark naked, dripping wet and with an impressive erection."

"All part of the service, Milady." He smiled and gave her a flamboyant bow.

"Do your friends know you're a…Section 31 Operative… is it?"

"No, they seem to think I'm an engineer." he snorted with laughter. "It must be the cover story my handler gave them. I hope they don't expect me to fix anything." He smirked. "They act like they know me but I never met them before the Slave Camp. I'd heard of them though. They have quite a reputation in Starfleet." He commented, then looked concerned as her expression changed to one of sorrow.

"We'll be arriving at Barin Prime soon." she whispered and turned away. "You'll be going home."

"We could keep going, take you with us to the nearest Starbase?" he entwined his fingers with hers as he held her, her back against his chest. "I could find you an apartment on Earth and keep you as my concubine." he smiled. "I might even marry you if you behave yourself and manage not to kill anyone."

"Who says I'll have you?" She smirked then sighed deeply. "I have a duty to my people. I'm the lesser of two evils as your people say."

"I have a duty to the Federation and Starfleet, and you knew that long before last night." He kissed the top of her head affectionately.

"I can't believe the moment has come. I've been waiting so long, maintaining my cluros." She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "It took so much of my strength to hide it within my mind from Aedax as well as outwardly. I killed them…"

"Now there's a surprise…"

"No, you asked how many lovers I made a bond with. Two muni, inadvertently in the… the heat of the minute." he recognised the term muni, it meant blended and was the word used for non Orions that were naturalised into their society.

"Moment. The heat of the moment." he corrected.

"I loved them, and I killed them because they knew what I was planning. They weren't like us…they didn't understand. I made it quick for them, but that's of little comfort." She set her jaw, clearly distressed at the memory.

"I know how hard it's been." he told her. "You aren't alone anymore." He smiled. "You have an ally now."

"I have another confession to make…" She turned her head. "I had another motive for climbing into your bed."

"I didn't really think it was my fantastic body and my alluring charm," he told her. "Go on, break my heart." he said sarcastically.

"From my studies I learned creating a mating bond carries a side effect of making Human males immune to the effects of Orion pheromones. I hoped that I could make you…sympathetic to me and immune to my mother's charms. Your mechanical friend is already immune…"

"You planned to seduce Geordi too." Reg realised and paused to think about it. "So why didn't you? And why did you pick me first?"

"My pon farr made me extremely fertile and you said yourself that I may have to pass the child off as another man's. You are a similar build to my father from pictures I've seen. I could pass your child off as being from my side of the family…"

"But not if the child looked African." he realized.

"When we created our bond I realised you weren't what you appeared. I no longer needed to seduce another ally."

"I think it's that I ruined you for all other men." he whispered in her ear and kissed her shoulder softly.

She snorted derisively and he frowned in response, his ego a little bruised at her reaction. "If I make a mistake, if anyone realizes my plan the palace guard will hack me to pieces to defend her. If that happens will you complete my task?" she asked plaintively. "Avenge me?"

He turned her to face him and gazed into her dark green eyes. "I'd kill anyone who hurt you, my Tahedri." he kissed her fingers softly. "After the way she's treated you killing her would be my pleasure. Especially if I have to seduce her to do it." He smirked at her vexed expression which soon turned to a soft smile.

"Unfortunately she only mates with men if it will benefit her in some way. She prefers the company of females when it comes to pleasure."

"I'll have to find a way to make it in her interests then. Thanks for the tip." he said earnestly.

"Don't you dare mate with that…." she hissed angrily. "Even if I am dead."

"I'm teasing." he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight with a smile on his face. "Of course I won't and you won't die." he whispered into her hair. "I won't let you."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

" _Where is your brother?"_ Tira asked, the scar still evident on her cheek.

" _I am so sorry Tira,_ " Stirba sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

" _Where is he?_ " she screamed. " _What did you do to him?_ "

" _It was one of the hostages._ _They tried to escape._ " She turned and covered her mouth with her hand as they reached the top of the long stone palace steps with a litter covered with a fine cloth bearing the Caj emblem.

Tira pulled back the cloth. " _NO!"_ Tira wailed plaintively and threw herself over her son's body, sobbing, clutching at his clothing, horror on her face as she realised he was lying on his front looking over his shoulder, his neck twisted. " _Tell me which one? I do not need them all to bring your father to us."_

" _The tallest man._ " Stirba stated, indicating the officers at the bottom of the steps.

"S _eize him!"_ Tira screamed, pointing a claw nailed finger at Reg and two guards stepped forward and grabbed him. He struggled as they forced him to his knees and bound his hands behind his back. " _Behead him!"_ Another guard stepped forwards with a ceremonial axe. Data held Geordi back, preventing him from trying to intervene against the insurmountable odds of the palace guard.

" _Wait!"_ Stirba shouted as the axe was raised. " _I want to see the face of my brother's murderer as his head leaves his body._ " she told her mother and began to walk down the steps carefully, holding her robe.

Tira smiled proudly and followed her down. Stirba stopped and looked back at her mother. The Tahedri's eyes widened as her robe snaked around her ankle and she fell, slamming into the steps and bouncing down them, the sound of smashed bone and torn muscle echoed around the courtyard long after the shriek died in her throat.

Stirba knelt beside her mother's broken body and held her head between her hands, blood trickled from her nose, mouth and ears and over her fingers. _"Stirba, you are the Tahedri._ " she whispered into her mother's face, one so like her own. _"My chosen heir, do not let your mother convince you otherwise."_ She tilted her head as she gazed into her ice blue eyes. " _I swore I'd never draw blood till Edara was avenged that night. The night you killed my family._ " She held up her hand with her mother's blood on it and rubbed it between her fingers as she smiled sweetly. She sat back and the blood began to gush from Tira's nose and ears as Stirba squeezed her shattered skull with her mind. She watched unblinking as her mother choked, gagged and convulsed until she lay still. She looked up at the guard poised to behead Barclay, her face wet with crocodile tears. " _Let him go. There's been enough death today_."

 _"_ _Yes Tahedri._ " the guards chanted and pulled him to his feet and untied him.

 _"_ _Prepare the bodies for burial._ " Stirba ordered, " _Remove the cover stone from my grandmother's tomb. Shatter it. It is to be buried with my mother_." she told an adviser who was loitering nearby.

" _Tahedri?_ "

" _Edara's title is to be restored. She is Edara the Wise once more and her tomb is to be marked as such. She was never the Slaughterer, Slayer of Innocents. That title is to be bestowed upon Tira along with the title… Usurper. Advise the stonemasons._ "

" _And your brother_?"

" _One word is to be carved into his tomb. Puppeteer…. No name, no title. He is to be interred in the garden that was the old slave market. Not the Barin Crypt. He must not lie in the same place as Edara._ "

" _But Tahedri, he will not be remembered by future generations…"_

 _"_ _He will be remembered for what he was, the bloodthirsty monstrosity who stalked the slave markets_."

Reg approached her, rubbing his wrists. "For a moment there I thought you were going to throw me to the wolves." he whispered.

"For a moment I almost did." she replied softly, wiping her hands on her mother's robes.

"Probably not the best idea leaving me alive knowing you tripped her down the stairs." he reasoned as she stood.

"Revenge is part of our culture and I am the Tahedri now. My word is law." she stated. "I am told hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, perhaps that is why I would wish you dead?"

"I would never scorn you." he gazed at her earnestly. "I wouldn't dare. You love me don't you? Admit it?" he nudged her with his shoulder playfully.

"What does it matter? You're leaving." she replied coldly. "I can always kill you later."

"I've been thinking about that." he said. "The leaving part, not you killing me…" he added. "Your guards are sloppy. You have a gap in cover from your perimeter patrols you could fly a starship through and every watchtower I've seen has a blind spot. If you're going to have my baby I should at least make sure you're both safe. I should probably stick around to find out if you're actually pregnant for that matter and you'll need someone to keep you from going on a killing spree at the slightest provocation. You're a serial killer."

"And you're an assassin. You should probably think about retiring before you get caught by your target and sold as a slave again." she told him icily and began to walk away. "Perhaps you're getting a little long in the fang for that line of work?"

"I'm a Wetwork Specialist, it's long in the tooth and that wasn't my fault." he argued and followed her, "How was I to know he had some freaky alien energy armour?"

"He's Kolari, he stole it from some 'freaky alien'. It's what we do…" she told him over her shoulder.

"Y'know, I can always kill you later too." he replied.

"I could have you put to death for threatening me." she pointed out angrily as she turned to face him.

"If you did that you wouldn't have the fun of killing me yourself, you crazy bitch."

"A fine thing to call the mother of your child." she chided with her hands on her hips.

"I hope to God I'm firing blanks. You'd have to be certifiable to reproduce with you, you lunatic!" he shouted and stepped towards her angrily to find an ornate pike barring his way. "See what I mean? Sloppy. I stand here ranting at the Tahedri, threatening her life and only this guy acts out of twenty guards?" He shook his head. "What's your name pal?" The guard looked to Stirba for permission to speak.

"You may answer him." she stated. "He is my…High Protector. He has my complete trust." The guard stood to attention and moved his weapon away from Barclay's chest.

"High Protector?" Reg scowled. "Makes me sound like a type of condom." he moaned and shook his head, his hand on his hip. "Can I promote people?" he asked earnestly. She nodded her assent. "Congratulations, you're the Captain of the Guard." he told the guardsman. "Captain…?"

"Dgrwtcbe-Txl, Lord High Protector." the man replied.

"That'll take me a while to remember, for now I'll call you Butch." He looked up at the towering Orion. "Your first order is to never step between me and my woman again or I'll rip your balls out through your nose." he told him sternly.

"Yes my Lord."

"Your second order is to have the old Captain arrested. The High Protector will break his neck for me and throw him at my feet. He needs further practice." The Tahedri smiled. "I suspect he was fucking my mother." she added by way of an explanation. "Her way to keep him loyal."

"Okay, but I'm wearing clothes this time." Reg smiled at her and offered his arm to escort her up the steps. "I may or may not have a hard-on, that depends on you my Tahedri." She took his arm and smiled up at him warmly. "You know, I killed three slavers, gave one a permanent limp, ripped an eyeball out of another and probably cost one a testicle while I was held captive." She gave him a look of impressed surprise. "Why do you think they flogged me and kept me in the cooler so long?" he told her as they walked away. "So what exactly does being a High Protector entail?"

"I don't know, I just made it up." she replied.

"If I'm giving up my commission I want a job description and a contract at least. Do you have a union here?" Reg joked. "What are the regulations regarding sexual harassment?"

"In your case it's positively encouraged." she advised him as they strolled up the steps together. "But only with me."

Geordi turned to Data. "I didn't follow all of that, but did she say he was an assassin?"

"Yes. And he said she just murdered her mother in front of us and they implied he was the one who broke Aedax' neck." Data replied.

"You know you said that wasn't our Taryn? I don't think that was our Reg." Geordi commented.

"That's the man you get if his mother gets custody from birth." Andrews stated. "A trained killer with no conscience working for Section 31."

"But he's still all…nerdy." Geordi stated. "Incidentally, where the hell have you been?" Geordi shouted.

"Busy." Andrews replied coldly. "That's what makes him the best at what he does. No one suspects him. They let their guard down." Andrews explained. "If we had time I'd show you their kids. The one she's expecting now and nine more once they work out they can stimulate pon farr with a microbe to help her conceive. Astonishingly for a pair of high functioning sociopaths they don't fuck them up too badly. They fill this palace with the laughter of children and their bloodline flows into every Caj in future generations and not one of their offspring's marriages is coerced. They never marry, they never admit they love each other either, they just say 'I'll kill you later'. It's their 'I'll find you' I suppose." he mused. "Pity the Federation falls but compared to some of the possible timelines this one's a peach."

"I know Tira is certifiable and Emlyn is scarily powerful. We saw that at Waterloo but how did he end up so twisted?" Geordi asked.

"Multitude?" Data suggested.

"Yep, took over the poor kid while he was still in the womb. Fortunately this Barclay is an efficient killer and the host died before he hit the floor and before he could move on to someone else. Multitude is trapped in a rotting corpse and will soon be encased in granite. It'll keep it quiet for a few hundred years. It's impossible to destroy." Andrews explained. "In the timelines where it picks the female twin it's far worse."

"Well, now we know they live happily ever after what happens to us?" Geordi asks tersely.

"Relax Bra." Andrews said dismissively. "You and Data go back to the Enterprise, you'll be fine. For a while anyhow."

"We need to go back to 1891." Data stated. "Repair the timeline at the source."

"I told you that's not going to happen. We can't have multiple versions of you running around killing Jem'Hadar in 19th Century London. The consequences could be worse than the mess we're in now." Andrews insisted.

"The Federation is going to fall. How much worse can it be?" Geordi argued.

"Believe me. It could get a lot worse." Andrews said earnestly. "But you did your best and we're grateful for that." he sighed.

"It wouldn't be so bad if we could've asked for help. We just got thrown in at the deep end and had to wing it."

"Those are the rules of the game La Forge." Andrews stated flatly.

"This is not a game." Data replied earnestly. "Lives are at stake."

"Y'know, to hell with this. I've got better things to do than listen to you two bitch. I'm stuck too y'know? My future doesn't exist either you selfish bastards.I only have the Agency now!" Before he could press a button on the device on his wrist Data grasped his hand and turned so Andrews was behind him with his arm trapped under his. "Let go, you son of a…. calculator!" the agent struggled in his grasp.

"Do you know how it works Data?" Geordi asked looking at the device.

"It's operation appears to be quite simple. I believe this is the temporal control, and this is the setting for the spatial co-ordinates." Data stated.

"You won't get away with this Data. Besides, everywhere you've been has been timelocked. You can't go back and risk a paradox. The Agency won't allow it." Andrews shouted angrily.

"In that case we will need the locations of the other attacks. Geordi, check his pockets, he should have an elliptical shaped device about the size of a tricorder."

"No, he doesn't have it." Geordi stated.

"Look there's something I probably should have told you guys…"

"Try the pockets on his legs." Data suggested.

"They're empty." Geordi stated.

"Oh fuck. Let me go?" he pleaded. "I'll send you wherever you want but I lost my observatory. I need your help. If that thing falls into the wrong hands…I'm in deep shit. We all are." the temporal agent admitted guiltily.

Data let him go and Andrews began to pace. "You have lost your temporal observatory?" Data asked with mock surprise.

"That's were I've been, requisitioning a new one. You wouldn't believe the red tape." Andrews complained. "I had to look up where and when we are on the Agency system."

Geordi let out a low chuckle. He was right, Haydn had picked his pockets. "Do you know the locations of the other attacks?"

"I can remember one, but I'm not sure of the co-ordinates. It's Trafalgar Square, it's gonna be bad there." Andrews stated. "You'll have to help me find the observatory, please?"

"That will be difficult with our previous locations and Bastion barred to us." Data stated.

"I can't break the timelock, it's…I just wouldn't know where to start but if you calculate the co-ordinates I'll take you back to Trafalgar Square 1891."

"I believe we have a deal." Data replied. "Give me a moment to see if the High Protector will give us some weapons."

Data applied a 'don't ask, don't tell' approach to the Starfleet phase rifles he found in the Tahedri's armoury, but he did confiscate two and with the permission of the High Protector destroyed the rest.

Trafalgar Square was busy when they appeared standing at the base of Nelson's Column, their sudden materialisation causing shrieks and panic from those who saw it. Two Jem'Hadar were stood on the empty plinth and unshrouded, one taking aim at a carriage with a rifle. Data despatched them quickly while Geordi blasted another with his phase rifle as he drew a blade and moved to throw it. Behind them, balanced on one of the Lions a lizard-like being unshrouded and moved on Geordi. He snatched the blind man's rifle and hit him in the face with the butt before smashing it over his knee and drawing a pistol, levelling it at his face. Data was faster and phased the warrior then threw his rifle to his friend as he clambered to his feet. Data turned and ran towards one of the fountains and grasped the wrist of a Dominion warrior who had grabbed a small child. Twisting his hand from the boy's jacket he seized the alien by the throat with the other hand.

"Run!" Data shouted to the child who was rooted to the spot with fear, his blue eyes like saucers and the boy fled as Data crushed the assailant's windpipe easily and let him fall, splashing frantically in the pool as he desperately clutched at his throat. Geordi took out a number of beings who unshrouded and took aim at the boy as he ran.

Data felt a blow between his shoulder blades and reached behind him. He grasped the hilt of a knife embedded in his spinal support and yanked it free before tossing it to catch it by the blade and throwing it at a Jem'Hadar that was pulling a woman from the carriage that had been their initial target and wrestling with a man sat beside her. It struck the being in the back of the neck and he dropped instantly, his spine severed. Another blade sliced Data's face as he was attacked by a roaring, horned soldier intent on fighting hand to hand. Grabbing the attacker's wrist, the android drew the blade across the man's own throat and he tumbled into the fountain beside his now still comrade, staining the water with his blood as Geordi despatched the remaining warriors with his rifle.

"You okay Data?" Geordi asked as he approached his friend.

Data nodded. "You?" he asked as Police whistles sounded nearby.

"I'm okay." Geordi said rubbing his jaw as Andrews appeared.

"Actually this looks better than I expected." Andrews said as he looked around at all the bodies and blood. "Certainly less mess than the Jem'Hadar made on their own."

"You're kidding?" Geordi said incredulously.

"The people weren't the only casualties. One of the lion's got a haircut. George the Fourth's horse lost a leg and they knocked Nelson off his perch. They ran amok after they killed the targets. The clean-up was a nightmare." Andrews explained. "Ready?" he asked then activated his wrist mounted device before they could respond.

"In at the deep end again. Why aren't I surprised?" Geordi stated as he looked around the Captain's Ready Room and found he and Data were alone. Again their injuries had disappeared. "Congratulations, you got promoted." he said as he noticed Data's collar. "Captain."

Data felt the pips on his collar with his hand. "Computer. List the command structure of this ship?"

" _Captain, Captain Data; First Officer, Commander Worf; Second Officer and Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge; Chief Medical Officer, Commander Reginald E Barclay III…_ "

"What the fuck?!" Geordi exclaimed. "Is this some kind of joke?"

" _Please restate the question without profanity._ " the computer replied.

"Barclay is a doctor and he outranks me?" Geordi asked incredulously. "And the computer can go screw itself…"

"Geordi." Data warned. "Computer is there a Taryn Prior on board?"

"Taryn Prior is in Medlab 1."

"What rank and position does she hold?" Data asked.

" _Taryn Prior is the Head of Child Development and the Ships Education Program. Her rank is Civilian_."

"Well, it looks like Reg finally landed a real teacher." Geordi grinned and looked out of the window. "We're docked. This is the San Francisco Fleet Yard."

"Geordi, how are we to ensure Mr Barclay teaches at Starfleet Academy when he has a different area of expertise? I do not see how we can succeed." Data stated.

"Perhaps we should play things by ear and look for a way back to the 19th century? It's not like we're going anywhere." Geordi suggested. "I'm gonna track down Barclay on the way to Engineering. See how the land lies."

Data nodded. "I will investigate our options."

"Computer, where is Reginald Barclay?" Geordi asked.

" _Dr Barclay is in Medlab 1_."

"At least they're together. That's got to be a good sign." Geordi stated. "I just hope I don't walk in on them doing it."

…

"Well?" Taryn asked with her hands on her hips as soon as she entered Medlab 1.

"Well what?" Reg asked innocently as he turned to face her.

"You know what." she scowled. "You've been sitting on them for weeks."

"I just haven't gotten around to it." he argued.

"It's got around to it, you…American! You asked for this divorce. You wanted shot of me..."

"I never said that…" he protested.

"No, you told me a load of bullshit about it being for my own good…"

"You know my reasons…" he defended. "I can't give you what you want." he added sadly.

"You were all I wanted." she told him earnestly and he blanched at her words. "There were other options but you found it easier to walk away." She leaned in close. "You said you wanted to set me free so sign the fucking papers." she hissed and stalked away.

"Why the rush all of a sudden?" he asked softly. "Is this about him?"

"Don't you fucking dare." she warned as she turned on her heel.

"You didn't waste any time finding someone else, but then, why should I be surprised considering your complexion. Maybe everyone was right all along. You are all whores."

…

"God, Reg…" Geordi ran towards the stricken officer on his knees gripping the edge of the console. He dodged Taryn as she stormed headlong towards the door with a scowl on her face. "Are you okay?" He tapped his communicator. "Medic…"

"Belay that." Reg wheezed, looking flushed and pained. "I'm…I'll be okay." he gasped.

"What happened?" he asked helping him up to his seat.

"My…soon to be ex-wife kneed me in the nuts." He admitted reluctantly, adjusting his groin.

Geordi was stunned. He couldn't imagine Reg and Taryn arguing let alone assaulting each other and getting divorced in any possible universe. "Why?"

"I acted like a bastard and it's not like they're any use to anyone. Besides, she was just making a point. If she meant business they'd be in the roof of my mouth and since when do you call me Reg? No one calls me Reg, not even my Dad."

"What the hell went wrong with you two?" Geordi asked, now with no idea of what to call his friend.

"You know what went wrong. I can't give her a baby." Reg replied. "She's got a ten percent better chance of conceiving with someone else so I let her go."

"Are you out of your mind?" Geordi asked incredulously. "You two love each other."

"That's not enough." he replied. "She wants children, how can I deprive her of them?"

"It's not like you're infertile, and even so…" Geordi reasoned.

"I might as well be. Three percent. We have a three percent chance of a natural conception. That's on a par with a twentieth century couple on birth control."

"I've known a couple with the same odds and they had twins." Geordi reasoned.

"With fertility treatment." Reg assumed as he walked over to a cage and lifted out a furry purple creature. He made a clicking noise and petted it, holding it in his arms and snuffling it with his face. "I know, sorry pal." he whispered as it emitted a squeak.

"No, they beat the odds and they were beautiful. They adopted a little girl too and they love her like she was their own."

Reg paused and considered his words. "Maybe some people can do that, it doesn't mean it would work for us. She deserves her own child, besides she's already moved on." He clenched his jaw. In the corner a plant rustled in a disgruntled manner. "It's not dinner time yet Burt. Jeez, will you stop nagging?" Reg shouted over his shoulder.

"She's what?" Geordi stated with disbelief and followed Reg over to the exam table.

"She's dating that nerd in charge of the Med Centre at the Academy." Reg said darkly. "The short asshole with the high forehead. Don't make me come over there Burt!" he shouted as the plant rustled belligerently. "I'm not in the mood for your bullshit today. Two words pal, pruning shears." he threatened.

"Have you talked all this through with her, or did you just make a unilateral decision?" Geordi asked.

"I did what had to be done. In twenty years when she finds herself childless and married to an old man she'd only resent me anyway. Why prolong the agony?" he argued. "At least this way she has a chance to be happy. Could you hold him for me? It's okay, he doesn't bite, he hasn't got teeth."

"She'll be happy with some nerd with a receding hairline?" Geordi asked incredulously, although he recognised the irony given who he was talking to. He held the creature on the table while Reg fetched an instrument. Never mind teeth, the animal didn't appear to have a face. "And you're okay with that?"

"Of course I'm not okay with that. I hate it, but it's done and I can't undo it. She can't stand to be in the same room with me now." Reg explained as he shoved the probe into the creature's fur and waited until it beeped. Then pulled it out and looked at the reading shaking his head. Geordi didn't want to even ask what orifice the probe entered. "Bad news Sparky. Sorry about that pal. You're okay for surgery." he stroked the large pile of fur.

"You have to talk to her and put this right. Tell her you'll look into fertility treatment at least, discuss adoption." Geordi argued. "She's the best thing that ever happened to you. How can you just let her go?"

"It's too late, and if you don't mind I have work to do Commander." He turned his dark eyes to his patient. "Sparky here has three testicles I need to remove. Then you can go home with your Mommy and not knock her up again. Can't you boy, you incestuous little pervert?" he said to the fluffy creature in a cooing tone of voice.

…

"There's no point talking to me about it. He's the one who filed for divorce then refuses to sign off on it and has started behaving like a jealous prick." Taryn stated. "He stopped listening to me weeks ago, he won't listen to anyone." she said as she picked up toys in the nursery.

"How did this all get so out of hand?" Geordi asked. "It seemed to come from nowhere."

She sighed deeply and clutched a soft toy to her chest, then sat dejectedly on a little child's chair. "We didn't advertise it but we tried to get pregnant for a year and all the experts kept telling us to keep trying. We knew it could take a while with my physiology so we waited another year and then they finally did some more tests and found he has an anomaly in his genetic chemistry. It cut our odds from slim to almost none. He changed the moment they told us." She looked up at Geordi. "He's gone into martyr mode and won't snap out of it. He has this ludicrous idea that because I'm making other friends and spending time socialising I'm having an affair. How can I be having an affair when he threw me out?" she asked plaintively. "He's behaving like the injured party when he created this situation all by himself."

"If I can get him to agree to couples counselling would you go?" Geordi asked.

"Of course." she agreed. "All along I've said I want to talk about this but he just refuses." She stood and walked over to put the toy away in a cabinet then sighed as she looked at the counter. "Not again." she moaned as she pulled a half-eaten cookie out of a tribbles cage emblazoned with the sign, 'Please don't feed me!' "I don't suppose you know anyone who's looking for a pet tribble? I'm about to have a lot of them going free to good homes."

Geordi shook his head with a smile. "So it's not serious with this other guy?"

"I've had dinner with him twice and we walked in the arboretum. I've made it clear I'm not looking for a relationship and he's been a perfect gentleman. Anything else is in Trip's head." she argued indignantly.

"Trip?" Geordi asked.

"Our mutual pain in the behind? My husband? Your friend?" She frowned. "Are you feeling okay Geordi? I mean, you've been here through all this. How can this be news?"

"You know me, I rarely take my head out of that warp drive long enough to keep up with gossip." He smiled, finally he knew what to call Reg in this timeline at least. "Be honest now, are you trying to make him jealous with this other guy?"

"No, I was sad and he tried to cheer me up, he's a friend. I'm not playing games and Trip has no right to accuse me of… He called me a whore, I'm not standing for that. I'm allowed to have male friends. I never objected to his friendship with Deanna and he used to hump her replicant on the holodeck! By the same measure he can't pretend to be all noble and brave and the one letting me go to a so called better life and then not actually let me go. It's time to piss or get off the pot."

…

"I don't see how getting them back together will help us resolve the timeline Data. She's a kindergarten teacher and he's a vet, but we have to do something."

"She runs the Education and Child Development program Geordi, and she was our Ops Officer until she resigned. He's a qualified medical doctor as well as a vet, and we've seen how she and Barclay inspire each other."

"Yeah, well at the moment she's inspiring him to call her a whore and he's inspiring her to kick him in the nards." Geordi argued. "She seems the more reasonable of the two but she's furious with him and he's clearly conflicted about his decision. He all but said he wanted her back but he thinks it's too late."

"Perhaps we should contact Counsellor Troi?" Data suggested.

"That might be a hot button issue with Taryn. He's convinced she's screwing some doctor from the Academy and she says they're friends and he's being an asshole about it." Geordi explained. "He's a lot more confident in a lot of ways in this timeline, but somehow he's still a holo-addict. She says considering his…adventures with The Goddess of Empathy on the holodeck and his friendship with Deanna he's on thin ice."

"She does have a valid point. However, Mr Barclay may respond better to Counsellor Troi's advice than Counsellor Fraser who has already made several attempts to intercede." Data argued. "As for his improved confidence I may have found the cause. According to his record his mother relinquished all parental rights when he was three days old and has only had infrequent contact with him since. Also he goes by the appellation 'Trip', which is short for Triple as he is..."

"The third Barclay in a row with the same name. Yeah, I worked that out Data, eventually. So his Dad raised him without Alicia's interference? Makes sense I suppose." Geordi reasoned. "God forbid Andrews should turn up and brief us."

…

"Deanna, how wonderful to see you." Trip kissed her cheek. "I had no idea the Daedalus was in the area."

"It's not, I'm here for a seminar." she replied with a smile.

"Make yourself comfortable," he told her and she sat down. "Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea? Chocolate ice cream?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"No I'm fine. I already had today's sundae ration when I stopped in to catch up with Data." She smiled guiltily. "Don't let me stop you if you were about to have something. Oh hello…" she said as a dog jumped on the couch beside her.

"J'hordak, get down. You know you aren't allowed on the furniture." Trip chided as he sat on the seat opposite. The dog obeyed him, but instead jumped on Trip's lap and licked his face.

"Interesting name?" Deanna stated. "Shadow in Orion isn't it? He's very striking." she said looking at his facial markings and bright blue eyes.

Trip nodded with a smile. "It's got another meaning too, like most Orion words. It's like a fifth wheel or a hanger on." He smirked at his exuberant behaviour. "He's a miniature husky and he has an attitude problem." He scratched him behind the ear to prove that all was forgiven and the dog settled down.

"I always thought you were a cat person." Deanna asked with a smile.

"Not exclusively." Trip smiled. "Although he's Taryn's dog really. Her new quarters are too small and her roomie is allergic…" He stopped and swallowed hard, pain evident in his face and the dog whimpered in sympathy and left his knee.

"What happened Trip?" she asked softly as J'hordak approached her and put his paw in her lap, almost as if he was asking her to help his Human. She stroked his head gently.

"There's no seminar is there? She sent for you didn't she? Well go back and tell her I'll sign today and transmit them…"

"Geordi did." she admitted. "He's worried about both of you."

"If you love someone, set them free. Isn't that what they say?" he asked.

"They don't say file for divorce after six years of marriage without any discussion and do your damndest to make the woman you love more than life hate your guts."

"Well, at least I finally succeeded at something worthwhile." he replied coldly. "If you don't mind I have a briefing to prepare for…"

"No you don't. You're relieved of duty." she informed him.

"What?" he snapped incredulously. "This has nothing to do with my work…"

"Counsellor Fraser begs to differ. You received devastating news that affects your relationship with your wife and you reacted in an extremely destructive way. How can that not affect every facet of your life?"

He grunted with frustration, and stood up angrily and J'hordak moved away in response, not out of fear, she realised. Out of respect for the mood of his pack leader. Her empathy was often unclear when it came to animals, their emotions were too feral, too wild for her to judge their motives. It was clear this dog wasn't the one with an attitude problem, Trip was. He was so finely attuned to his owner he was picking up on his distress and acting out. He literally was Trip's shadow, reflecting his emotions like a mirror. "What will relieving me of duty accomplish? She wants me to sign the papers and I will. There's nothing left to say." He began to pace.

"She's agreed to couples counselling." Deanna stated.

"She has?" He wheeled around excitedly, his eyes darting back and forth as he considered this. "I expect she wants closure." he concluded sadly. Finally she was getting past J'hordak's emotions and reading Trip's, although you didn't need to be an empath to work out he'd got himself into a quandary.

"You seem very conflicted Trip. Are you sure this divorce is what you want?"

"It's what she needs that's important." he argued, as much to convince himself as her Deanna sensed.

"Have you asked her what she needs?" Deanna intoned. "Duncan can order you to attend counselling but not a couples' session. Will you agree to the meeting?"

He nodded sadly. "Will Duncan be the referee?" he asked, curling his lip.

"I will if you prefer." Deanna stated.

He nodded again. "Is Taryn okay with that? I mean she may say…" He stopped and frowned.

"I'm aware of the issues she's likely to raise. It won't be a problem." she assured him.

"Okay, when?" he asked softly.

…

They were sat on opposite ends of the couch pouting, each with their legs crossed away from each other, their postures closed.

"I'd like to commend you both for agreeing to attend." Deanna began. "I know how difficult this is for you. Ordinarily I'd begin by asking you both to say what you hope to accomplish with these sessions but perhaps it would be more appropriate for you to consider our time here a forum to air the issues between you rather than set out specific goals."

They glanced at each other momentarily, Trip shrugged and Taryn nodded her assent.

"Perhaps you'd like to start Taryn?"

"Why? What I want is of no importance it seems." she said coldly.

"You feel excluded from the decision making process?" Deanna asked.

"I was excluded." she replied plainly. "My feelings are irrelevant to him."

"How does it make you feel to hear her say that Trip?" Deanna asked.

"I had her best interests at…heart. How I feel about it isn't what's important." he replied.

"What about how you feel about me? Does that matter?" Taryn asked.

"No." he replied reluctantly.

"How do you feel about her?" The empath asked.

"I want her to be happy." he stated.

"I was happy with you." Taryn replied softly.

"You wanted children." he replied.

"So did you. I just wish you'd cut the crap and tell the truth!" she shouted, savagely wiping the tears as they formed in her eyes. "You keep saying this is about me, so I can be happy and the fact is I'm the problem not you. I'm the hybrid freak with the warped reproductive system who can't get pregnant. I'm eighty-seven percent of the reason we can't conceive and you're the one who wants to be free of me to have kids with someone else."

"No, that's not true. I…" Trip looked surprised. "I had no idea you thought that." he looked at her forlornly and reached out to touch her arm. She pulled away and edged closer to the arm of the couch so she was pressed hard against it.

"Can you see why Taryn would feel that way Trip?" Deanna asked.

"I suppose so, but she's got it all wrong." He sighed and looked at his fidgeting hands. "I did want a baby, but I wanted one with you. I wanted to raise a child with you, even if it isn't biologically ours. It doesn't matter to me, but I thought it mattered to you. I can't imagine having a family with anyone else. Why would I want to?"

"Trying for a baby can put a strain on even the strongest of relationships…" Deanna began.

"It wasn't a strain at all." he replied. "Yes we were trying but it wasn't overwhelming us like it does with some couples. We just…revelled in each other I suppose. We were waiting for nature to take its course. We believed it would happen for us."

"And how did you feel when you were told there were further complications Trip?" Deanna asked.

"I felt…" he clenched his jaw and looked at his hands, "inadequate I suppose."

"Does that surprise you Taryn?"

"Not at all." she replied looking at him sympathetically.

"Did you encourage Trip to talk about how he felt?"

"How could I? He ran out of Sickbay and just left me there. He locked himself in the holodeck and…I got served divorce papers the next morning before I even saw him." she replied sadly. "Papers he now refuses to complete."

"Do you think that was an appropriate way to act on your emotions Trip? Escaping to the holodeck." Deanna asked.

"I wasn't escaping…" he argued. "It's my hobby, you know that."

"Which program did you run?" the empath asked.

"That's beside the point…"

"Trip?" Deanna refused to let the matter drop.

"Deadwood." he admitted sullenly.

"You fucking hypocrite." Taryn shrieked and battered him with a cushion. "You have the nerve to call me a whore while you're off getting laid at Miss Langfords!"

"I didn't, I was horseback riding. I swear." he protested.

"Riding?" she asked incredulously. "You were riding alright. Bareback with photonic sluts all night. No wonder you couldn't wait to file for divorce." She stalked from the room surrounded by an iridescent glow.

"Oh God." he buried his face in his hands. "I really was horseback riding, I got a horse from the livery and took off."

"I believe you." Deanna stated. "But you have to admit you have form in that department. It's not an unreasonable conclusion for her to jump to."

"You have to make her believe me. I'd never be unfaithful to her." he pleaded, clutching the cushion to his chest. "Even since we separated I haven't..."

"I'll talk to her when she isn't quite so… luminous." Deanna agreed. "But Trip, you need to decide what you want from her. The mixed messages you're sending…"

"I want her back." he sobbed. "I thought I was doing the right thing but it's not. I miss her so much. I didn't stop to think about how she felt about us not getting pregnant. I just left her there. How could I just leave her sitting in Sickbay?"

"I'll try and get her to agree to another session, but you need to listen to her as well as explaining how you feel." Deanna told him and he nodded.

…

"How do you feel about the idea of a reconciliation Taryn?" Deanna asked.

"No." she replied plainly and turned to face him. "I thought I did but the more I think about it… I gave up my career because you couldn't handle me going on away missions after I got injured. I changed my final wishes because you couldn't handle the thought of me being scattered by transporter. You autocratically decided our marriage was over and because you were the one still commissioned I had to move out to civilian personnel quarters and now I'm room-mates with a tech who leaves greasy overalls all over the place and hogs the bathroom. It's like being back living with my family only my siblings actually spoke to me and were civil occasionally. Now you've decided you want me back and you expect me to leap back into your arms like all is forgiven?"

"I…"

"Do you have any concept of how appallingly you've behaved?" she asked incredulously. "You've been abusive both personally and racially. You've repeatedly accused me of breaking our marriage vows, which I haven't incidentally, while doing everything possible to alienate me when this separation was what you wanted. You didn't consider how I felt about the situation for a moment. You decided I wouldn't want to adopt without even discussing it with me. For our entire marriage it's always been about what you need, what you want and regardless of how I feel about you enough is enough. No, I don't want to reconcile, that boat sailed weeks ago and you missed it. I want you to finalise the divorce papers so I can move back to Earth and get on with my life."

"With him?" Trip asked angrily.

"No, just without you." she barked. "There's nothing going on with Heath."

"It's Heath now is it?"

"Trip, did you actually listen to all that Taryn said?" Deanna asked, trying to pull the session away from petty jealousy and back on track.

"I listened…" he replied defensively.

"Can you understand why she feels that way?" the counsellor asked.

"I suppose so." he replied reluctantly.

"You've been crueller and more vindictive than I ever believed you capable of. I don't know if you meant it, or were trying to drive me away but you've certainly succeeded and I've done nothing to deserve it apart from fail to give you a child. Something that hurt me every bit as much as it hurt you." Taryn stated. "You didn't even stick around to hear the rest of the test results, you just buggered off."

"What else was there to know?" Trip stated. "You have a higher chance of having a healthy child with someone else."

"That isn't even what the specialist said." Taryn replied with a scowl. "He said if we can get past conception our genomes are entirely compatible and we've every chance of producing a healthy baby. We just need help to conceive but you didn't wait to hear that part."

"Trip?" Deanna prompted him.

"I didn't realise that, I thought…" he sniffed, "I thought my problem would make an unstable hybrid or a genetically damaged baby. I thought they would be sick because of me and I couldn't bear that…"

"You aren't sick." Taryn stated. "You're a doctor for God's sake. You could have checked the results for yourself."

"I suppose I should have, but it hurt so much I just couldn't face it…" He paused and looked into her eyes. "You said 'regardless of how I feel.'" he quoted. "Do you still love me?"

"That's beside the point." she argued.

"No, no it's not. I still love you. I never stopped loving you."

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "You've got a funny way of showing it Trip."

He grabbed her hand. "I know I deserve to lose you forever, but please give me another chance?" he begged.

"I can't behave like all this never happened and just go back to how we were, I'm sorry." she said and pulled away her hand.

"Just, give me while we're in spacedock. Let's spend some time together and if you still want to end it… I'll sign anything you want." Trip pleaded.

"I want custody of the dog." she stated.

"No problem, just…just give me a chance to win you back?"

"Stop grovelling and I'll think about it." she pouted.

"Will you move back in?" he asked.

"Don't push your luck." she scowled and folded her arms. "The creepy love letters have to stop too."

"What love letters?" he asked with a puzzled frown.

"Oh come off it Trip." she said angrily. "I don't know if your idea was to scare me back into your life or win me back but either way it won't work."

"Taryn, he really knows nothing about those letters." Deanna told her with a worried expression. "Perhaps you should speak to security."

"They're probably from your boyfriend." he said acidly.

"I don't have a boyfriend." she said tiredly.

"Could they be from one of your students?" Deanna suggested.

"I run the child development program but I teach the under fives. The letters weren't in crayon." Taryn argued. "They were in calligraphy, a bit like the poems you used to send me."

"Hand written or replicated?" Trip asked.

"Does it matter?"

"I wrote all your letters by hand." Trip argued.

"I didn't know that." Taryn whispered looking touched by the effort he'd made. "I'll take them to security."

"Screw that, take them to Worf." Trip demanded.

"He's the first Officer, not the Security Chief anymore." Taryn pointed out. "Besides, they aren't threatening, they're just a little… intense."

…

"Computer, what time is it?" Trip asked as he paced in his quarters with J'hordak following at his heels.

" _2013 hours._ "

"She's late, she's never late." Trip muttered. "Where is she?" he asked the dog. "I know she's pissed enough to stand me up but not you." He continued to pace nervously chewing at his fingers. "Computer, Locate Taryn Barclay?"

 _"_ _There is no one listed as crew or passenger with that name._ "

He sighed and his shoulders dropped. "Locate Taryn Prior." he shook his head, he should have known she'd be using her maiden name.

" _Taryn Prior is not aboard the Enterprise._ "

He tapped his communicator. "Barclay to Prior." He looked up. "Prior, please respond." He frowned. She should respond even if she went down to the planet. "Computer, did she beam down? Where to?" he asked.

" _Unknown._ "

"Did she take a shuttle?"

" _Unknown._ "

"I should have become a computer specialist. I might get some damn answers." Trip snapped.

" _Please rephrase the question?_ "

"Go fuck yourself!" he advised the computer and headed for the door. "Stay!" he told the dog as he followed him. "Get back in there!" He pointed and J'hordak reluctantly slunk back into his quarters. "I don't need you wandering off and getting lost too." He headed along the corridor towards Transporter Room 1.

Data looked up at Trip as he entered the Bridge. "Can I help you Dr Barclay?"

"I hope so Captain. Taryn is missing." he stated. "We were supposed to meet and she never turned up."

"Missing?" Data frowned. "Perhaps she is catching up with friends on the surface and has lost track of time?"

"I can't raise her on her combadge. The computer says she's not on board but there's no record of her leaving the ship. I've been to every transporter room, every shuttlebay and no one has seen her. I checked with the Fleet Yard and she hasn't been through the airlock."

Data stood and walked to the Ops station. His hands flashed over the console for a few seconds as he activated internal sensors. "Bridge to Main Engineering. Abort the test of the warp coils, I repeat. Abort the test." He said urgently.

" _Is there a problem Captain?_ " Geordi asked.

"We have a biosignal in the starboard nacelle and the failsafe biosensors are offline."

" _What the…? I'm heading up to the catwalk now."_ Geordi replied. " _Do you know who it is? They aren't wearing a combadge._ "

"I suspect it is Taryn Barclay." Data replied as he stood. "Mr Nog, you have the Bridge." He said as he headed for the turbolift with Trip.

"What's she doing in the nacelle?" Trip asked. "And why doesn't she have her combadge with her?" as they headed for her location in rapid strides. "She always carries it in case we need her in Sickbay or Duncan needs to liaise with her about one of her kids."

"Had you arrived a few seconds later they would have transferred drive plasma to the warp coils." Data advised him earnestly.

"Dear God, she'd have been vapourised." Trip paled at the thought. "What the hell's going on?"

The medical team ran past them as they strode towards the catwalk and Trip broke into a run to follow them.

An ensign from engineering grabbed him. "Doc, you'd better let them handle this." Ashby told him. "She's alive but she's pretty messed up."

"What happened to her?" he asked plaintively.

"We don't know yet Re..Trip." Geordi corrected as he joined them and they stepped aside to let Data through. "It looks like someone beat the crap out of her and left her for dead. She's wrapped in a…a sheet, like a shroud or something."

"What?" Trip asked wide-eyed. "Who would do that to her?"

"She's…she's naked. I'm sorry." Geordi told him apologetically.

"Oh God." Trip blanched.

"They have transported her directly to Sickbay. She has severe head injuries but they believe her condition to be stable." Data told them. "I've ordered lockdown and a full security and forensic sweep of the ship. We will find whoever did this."

"Was she raped?" Trip asked angrily.

"Doctor, they are still running tests. You are aware of the procedures." Data stated.

"To hell with the procedures sir, did someone rape my wife?" Barclay yelled.

"It appears so." Data replied calmly. "In their initial assessment they found bruising to her inner thighs and wrists. There are signs that she was stunned with a phaser and she has a sedative in her bloodstream. Probably to enable an assailant to overpower her."

"I'll be in Sickbay. Tell me when you find the bastard who did this." Barclay replied coldly and stalked away.

 _Author's note._

 _As always, any and all comments are always welcome and thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read and/or review all of the stories in this series. If you are enjoying the story, or even if you aren't please don't be shy. Let me know what you think._


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"How is she?" Data asked him as Trip stood back watching his team work, chewing at his fingers with the other arm folded across his chest.

"She's hanging in there." Trip replied. "They found no forensic indications of who did this on her body or the sheet. You need to check for blood in bathrooms, it looks like they put her in a sonic shower before they dumped her. She's too clean. There should have been more blood from her injuries. They may have cleaned her up to facilitate carrying her through the ship. She'll have been bleeding profusely. Wherever they did this there will be spatter everywhere. Maybe they missed some if they cleaned up."

"Doctor, I hope you have not involved yourself in the retrieval of evidence?" Data asked.

"Of course not. I want whoever did this nailed to the wall. The last thing I'd do is jeopardise any case you may have. I also realize I'm the prime suspect as the estranged husband."

"Seeing as you mentioned it. Security have requested that you return to your quarters. Your dog is preventing them from performing the security sweep." Data advised him.

"I'll go now. She's going to be out of it for a while anyway." Barclay clenched his jaw. "Thank you sir." He turned and walked away. The team were stood at his door when he arrived, it was open and there was a sound of barking and growling. He whistled and the dog ran to him obediently.

"Did you want to stay while we perform the search Doctor?" the security officer asked as he walked away.

"Why? Were you thinking of planting evidence?" he asked. "Go ahead and search, I've nothing to hide." he said tiredly and strode along the corridor with J'hordak at his heels.

"Doctor, she's starting to come round." Barton said as he returned to Sickbay.

"Could you put him in my office please?" he said handing him the dog that was under his arm. J'hordak growled at the med-tech, "Alyssa would you mind? Must be your aftershave Barton." he smiled briefly at his tech as he put his dog in Alyssa's arms. He rushed to Taryn's bedside and grasped her hand. "Hey Sweetie."

"What happened?" she murmured and looked up at him plaintively.

"We're not sure. We found you all banged up. How much do you remember?" he stroked her long hair gently.

She frowned. "I was getting dressed in my quarters." She shook her head. "I don't know."

"That's alright." He kissed her hand. "It may take a while. You had some intracranial bleeding, your memory may be affected. But you're going to be fine." he smiled at her. "Everything is okay."

"No," she shook her head. "I'm sore, they must have…." she started to cry. "Oh God Trip…"

"I know." he whispered, as he took her in his arms. "You're safe now though." he cradled her against his shoulder. "We're going to catch whoever did this okay?" he kissed her forehead. "We're going to get them." He sighed and looked at her face, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "I know things have been bad between us. Would you rather I stayed away?"

She shook her head. "Unless that's what you want?" she sniffed.

"I want to wrap you up in cotton wool and never let you out of my sight again." he forced a smile.

"Doctor Barclay, could you come with us please?" Trip turned to look at the security officers and nodded.

"You try and get some rest. Alyssa's here okay, and Barton. They'll take care of you." he told her then turned to Nurse Ogawa. "I know we have security posted but I want the dog to stay with her. I want him right beside her." He kissed Taryn's hand tenderly. "I'll be back soon."

…

Barclay turned the warped piece of silvery metal over in his hands. "For a start, I know that you can't dispose of a combadge by recycling it in a replicator although it does screw them up. Secondly why would I bring her combadge back to my quarters to dispose of it when I have legitimate access to the entire ship? Thirdly, why would I rape and try to kill her when I've been trying to win her back? And fourthly, why would I try to find her and stop her being disintegrated in the nacelle? Surely it would be in my interests to destroy the evidence?"

"Maybe she told you she wasn't interested in reconciling and you lost your temper?" Worf suggested. "Maybe you had second thoughts about leaving her for dead? Perhaps it was an act to throw suspicion away from yourself?"

"She already told me she didn't want to reconcile in front of Deanna Troi. She's humouring me to get custody of our dog in the divorce but while that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and convince her otherwise, battering her brains out isn't my idea of romance."

"We found your DNA and her blood in her quarters as well as the blood of her roommate."

"Is Lisa okay?" Trip asked with concern.

"We are still looking for her." Worf intoned. "Her combadge was also in your replicator. The security team informed me they could not gain access to your quarters because of your pet. If you claim you didn't put their combadges in the replicator how could anyone else have got in there to do it?"

"I can't explain that. I can't explain the DNA either, I've never been to my wife's new quarters, not since she moved there anyway. I can't rule out being called there on a medical emergency before that. I've probably been in everyone's quarters at one time or another." Trip stated. "I am forensically aware however and a doctor. If I wanted to kill someone and get away with it I'd do a better job don't you think?" he asked Worf. "Certainly with less blood everywhere at least and I'd have deactivated this and left it with her to be destroyed in the nacelle." he waved the damaged combadge.

"You're very calm about all this." Worf noted.

"It's in my job description to be calm Commander." Trip stated, "I'm not trying to be evasive. I wish I had better answers for you because every moment you spend investigating me is a moment you aren't looking for the son of a bitch who left my wife for dead." Barclay paused to control his temper and looked away. "Check my dog for phaser burns. Even a stun setting may have singed his fur but not be visible to the naked eye and he was pissed when I got him from our quarters. I assumed your guys had been antagonizing him. I'd run a tox screen too and check him for needle marks. There are only a few people he'd let in without objecting but it's possible someone used a dart gun or a blow pipe."

"A dart gun?"

"A projectile weapon that fires a hypodermic needle that deploys with a small explosive charge. It's how they used to stun animals before phasers. Still do on a number of worlds."

"You know a lot about it?" Worf commented.

"I trained and worked as a vet before I got my medical degree." Barclay stated. "Animals aren't always co-operative when it comes to anaesthetic. Especially in the wild."

"There are rumours that following your separation your wife has become romantically involved with Dr Heathcliff…" Worf stated.

"She says they're just friends." Trip interrupted, not even wanting to hear the man's name. "Have you questioned him?"

"Did it make you angry to hear the rumours?" Worf asked.

"Of course it did, I was jealous as hell but that gives me a motive for killing him rather than her surely?" Trip argued. "She said she'd been getting letters, she called them creepy love letters and thought they were from me but they weren't. She told Deanna and me that she'd take them to security yesterday. I told her to show them to you."

"She didn't, and we didn't find them in her quarters." Worf told him and he blanched. "Following a recent counselling session she confided in one of her colleagues that you spent the night on the holodeck immediately before you filed for divorce. She intimated that you not only had a relapse of your holo-addiction but you indulged in an orgy at Miss Langford's House of Pleasure."

"That was a misunderstanding, yes I went to the holodeck and ran the Deadwood program but I didn't indulge in any orgy. We talked that over in a subsequent session, it's old and inaccurate news. I filed for divorce because my… male pride was dented and I was an idiot. Yes, I want her back but if she wants it to be over it's my own stupid fault. I'd have no one to blame but myself, certainly not her. I'd never hurt her, not intentionally. I never stopped loving her, I've never been unfaithful and to me holograms count as adultery." Trip tossed her twisted silver combadge onto the table. "This DNA evidence, what form did it take?"

Worf paused and pulled a package from a box beside him on the floor. "We found this on the floor beside her bed. It is covered in your DNA as well as hers."

Barclay turned the clear package over in his hands, visibly moved as he looked at the blue t-shirt that was spattered with green blood. "Um…it's my undershirt…she'd…any time I was off the ship or even on an away mission overnight I'd always find one of my dirty shirts in the bed when I got back." he raised his clenched hand to his mouth, then shifted uneasily in the chair. "She…um…she used to say she couldn't sleep without my smell in the bed. She must have taken it with her when she moved out. I didn't know…I don't know why she kept it so long after…God, I'm a fucking idiot Worf. I never should have let her out of my sight let alone tried to divorce her." Trip looked up and frowned as an officer entered and whispered something in Worf's ear.

"You may go." Worf stated and stood.

"To the brig or am I confined to quarters?" he asked.

"You are free to go wherever you wish, but I urge you not to interfere in this investigation." Worf glowered at him threateningly.

"Just like that?" Trip asked with a frown.

"Nurse Ogawa found signs of phaser burns on your animal's fur. I do not believe you would stun your own pet."

"I'm a little offended that you think I'm capable of rape and attempted murder but would draw the line at shooting a dog but I realize you have a job to do." Trip stated as he stood.

"I hope there will be no…animosity between us. I realize you are a private man and many of my questions were extremely personal..."

"Just, find whoever did this Worf. Much as I'd like them dead Taryn believes in justice and she's the injured party. Find them, make the case airtight and we'll be square."

…

"Are you okay?" Taryn asked as she ran and hugged him when he got back to Sickbay. He wasn't surprised she was up and about. Resting was a concept alien to his wife. "They said you were being questioned. How could they think that you would..?"

"It was rough." he said dramatically and nodded to Alyssa as she indicated she was heading to the lab. "They shone this light in my eyes, then Worf got out the rubber hose and the thumbscrews. Then there was the w…waterboarding…" He smirked. "They always question the husband in cases like this. It's fine." He rubbed her upper arms. "I got a little sick in my mouth when he mentioned your paramour, Commander Academy Buzzcut, the midget."

"It's Doctor Academy Buzzcut and he's hardly a midget, he's five ten and he isn't my paramour." she argued.

"I wouldn't blame you if he was, I've been an asshole of the first order."

"What if..?" She stopped and looked away.

"I know we've had our differences but I hope you know you can ask me anything?" he said as he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers then took her chin and turned her face to his.

"W…what if they got me pregnant? I never restarted birth control and…" she asked desperately. He took her hand and lead her to the biobed then grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto it. He picked up her notes on a padd and checked them. "See that entry? That's a post-coital contraceptive, part of the standard protocol for sexual assault unless it's culturally or religiously inappropriate." he told her then tossed the padd aside, picked up a tricorder and scanned her. "I know your cycle is haphazard to say the least but you aren't ovulating, you haven't ovulated in the last week and you aren't ovulating in the next few days from these hormone levels." He put down the tricorder and took her face in his hands. "No way are you pregnant. In fact there was so little evidence…we think he used a prophylactic or an object of some sort."

"You're in Dr Barclay mode." she said and cupped his cheek in her hand. "Make sure you aren't alone when you let your shields drop Trip." He let out a strangled sob and she pulled his face into her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry this is all my fault." he sobbed. "If I hadn't pushed you away I'd have been there to protect you." He held her close. "I'm so sorry."

"Shh. It could have happened anyway. We don't know, we just don't know."

"I came so close to losing you forever. I don't mean…I know…I'm not assuming we're getting back together but you would have been…they were about to…you were on the catwalk and they were going to test the nacelle…If you don't want me back I can live with it but the thought of you disappearing and my never knowing what happened to you…it's more than I could bear."

"There are failsafes." she told him as she stroked his face. "Sensors that check for biological substances as well as life-signs."

"The Captain said they were offline."

"I need to talk to the Captain, or Worf." she insisted.

"Have you remembered something about what happened?" Trip asked.

"No, but it takes a very specific skillset to take the biosensors offline without it showing up on the panel in Main Engineering. You'd only spot it on the Ops or Engineering Station on the Bridge if you were looking for it but the main panel would light up like a Christmas tree. I'm sure the Captain has thought of it but…"

"I never should have made you resign your commission." Trip stated with regret. "You belong at Ops."

She shook her head. "I said that to hurt you. I love my job now. I loved my life with you even though we weren't getting pregnant. I loved you. I still love you." she admitted. "But maybe we should call it a day. Things got so horrible and maybe there's no way back to what we had. It's my fault as much as it is yours. I never shared how I felt about my infertility either…"

"If that's really what you want I'll sign the papers. I'll do it now." he sniffed and headed for his office with J'hordak and her both following him. He picked up the padd and stylus and signed then went to hold it to the terminal to upload it but she grasped his wrist. "What? Do you want to check that I signed my real name? I didn't put Phil McGroin or I P Freely. Look? R E Barclay Cubed MD DXVM."

She sighed. "Do you think you could get to a point where you look at me and…don't think about what happened today? Will I always be damaged goods to you?"

"You aren't damaged goods to me now…" he stopped and looked at her incredulously. "Is this some sort of test?" He watched her reaction carefully. "Oh Sweet-stuff, what happened today doesn't define you and it never will. Not to me." He grasped her hand on his wrist and pushed the padd against the reader. "There, we're divorced or we will be in a minute or two." He lobbed the padd over his shoulder and dropped to one knee still clutching her hand. "Will you marry me?"

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" she pulled her hand away.

"Probably. I've not had the best day." He stood and picked up his mug. "Someone raped my wife and tried to kill her, shot my dog, tried to frame me and I just got divorced from the most amazing woman in the universe." He sipped his drink. "And my coffee is cold." He emptied it into a nearby plant carelessly and dropped the cup onto his desk as he slumped into his seat. "I need a vacation. Let's go to Hawaii." He looked up at her as she paced back and forth.

"I wanted us to have a conversation about this, not an immediate divorce. I'm calling Counsellor Troi. You've seriously lost the plot." she said and turned his terminal to face her on the opposite side of the desk to him.

"I mean it." He gazed across the table into her eyes. "Marry me and come to Hawaii, or Vegas, or Risa or what's that place? Bognor Regis. Anyplace you like."

"You want to get married?" He nodded. "And go to Bognor?"

"I like the name," he smirked, "Bognor Regis. It's like a contradiction in terms. A bog fit for a king."

"It's a shithole Trip." she argued. "Maybe that's a bit harsh but it's a seaside town in England. Every time I've been there it's pissed down with rain. It's not Risa by a long chalk." She looked at him earnestly. "Why do you want to get married? We just got divorced."

"In that case I can ask you out on a date as we're both footloose and fancy free." He spun around in his chair. "Where do you want to go? Screw it, let's just go to bed. We never did date really did we?"

"You've finally snapped." she whispered. "All that repressed anger at your mother walking out when you were a baby has finally caught up with you."

"She did me a favour, you've met my half-brothers the psychopath and the nervous wreck." Trip stated dismissively.

"You only have one half-brother." she argued.

"My point exactly, she drove him schizo." Trip stated. "You only said you wanted to call it a day because you think the fact you were raped diminishes you. Well it doesn't. I feel the same way about you right now as I felt yesterday and the day before and every day since the moment I first laid eyes on you. The legal papers don't matter jack shit and honestly, if we hadn't been in Starfleet I might never have proposed and we would still be together because we love each other."

"You divorced me just to make that point?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes." he replied sullenly.

"You stupid arrogant prick!" she snapped and stalked from the room.

"Wait? Where are you going?" he said following her.

"I'm taking my dog and leaving. I've got no reason to stay now, we can't live together unmarried thanks to Starfleet's ludicrously out-dated rules on dependent spouses and no way am I sharing a room with…" she froze and looked up at him with fear in her eyes. "An object…you said an object…maybe it wasn't a him…It was a her." she looked away as he grasped her upper arms. "She hit me with a…it was a bottle I think…Kanar, it was twisted like a kanar bottle and she…oh God." He held her against his chest as she sobbed. "I need to talk to Worf, she attacked me but…" She sniffed and wiped her tears on the back of her hand.

"What? What are you remembering?"

"I'm not sure, it's not clear. But there were two of them. Definitely two. Male and female." He kissed her forehead tenderly and pressed his communicator.

…

"Where are you Taryn?" Deanna Troi asked in the darkened room.

Her eyes were closed and she was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the centre of the room, her long raven hair loose about her shoulders. "I'm getting changed in my quarters, I've just got out of the shower and I'm wearing a towel. I'm meeting with Trip soon. I'm not looking forward to it." Her lip quirked and she shifted the pressure of her fingers on her palm. "The door is chiming."

"Answer the door." Deanna prompted.

Taryn frowned. "Lisa locked the door again. I have to open it manually. He has a phaser." she frowned. "He stunned me."

"Who?" Deanna asked.

"His face is…I'm too groggy. I can't see clearly." Her breath began to hitch.

"You're safe. It's just a memory." Deanna assured her and Taryn adjusted the position of her fingers to calm herself. "Your mind is there, but physically you are here with us. The pain is there. You can't feel it here."

"I'm on the floor, he keeps telling me he doesn't want to hurt me. If I don't fight him it won't hurt, he wants me to enjoy it. He has a hypospray, he says it will help me relax. He's picked me up. He carrying me to my bed. I want to fight him but, I…I keep blacking out. He's on top of me, he's… no he's not naked his jumpsuit and underpants are pulled down and his shirt is open. He's in uniform. He's a science officer, or medical, it's blue. His jersey is blue."

"What else do you remember about him?"

"His smell, it's… I know his aftershave from somewhere." She shook her head. "I can't place it. He's lean. He has chest hair, I can feel it when I push him away." She winced, "It hurts, make him stop!" she screamed. "No!" Her eyes snapped open, her breath ragged.

"It's alright, you're safe." Deanna told her. "You did really well."

"Trip?" she looked into the darkness.

"I'm here, it's okay." He crouched beside her and took her in his arms. "You got a lot more detail that time. Things we never told you like how we found a sedative in your system."

"But I still don't know how the bottle fits, and the woman. It's a woman's arm holding a twisted bottle and she's hitting me over and over again." She sobbed as she gripped his shoulder, her face buried in his neck. "It's there every time close my eyes."

"It'll come in time." he assured her as he stoked her hair. "It's only been a week, you're doing so well Sweet-stuff."

"I think I need a nap if that's okay?" she asked softly.

"Of course it's okay." he cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her forehead. "Do you want me to call you in a couple of hours?" She nodded and stood up. J'hordak followed her into the bedroom and she closed the door behind her.

He began to pace in the small chalet they were staying in. It was in the grounds of Taryn's grandmother's riding school. Trip had left the ship with her as soon as they found the body of Taryn's room-mate in the other nacelle during the security sweep. He took a leave of absence so he could stay with her and make sure she was safe. She was the only witness and with no other evidence they had hit a brick wall with the investigation. Deanna switched off the recording device and eyed him appraisingly as he paced, rubbing his face thoughtfully. "You think she's confabulating." she stated.

"I think it's a possibility don't you? She could be inserting me in the memory to fill the gaps in the jigsaw. She could be describing me. We've certainly…I haven't necessarily undressed all the way every time we've made love. I've gone home and found her in a towel and things have got intense." He fidgeted with his hands, "Admittedly I haven't drugged her and shot her with a phaser in order to have sex with her in a while." he added facetiously. "That was in bad taste. I'm sorry." He stopped and rubbed his neck distractedly. "Thank you for not suggesting it was me who did this to her."

"This type of violence just isn't in your nature Trip. But perhaps we should consider excluding you from the room during these sessions. Your mating bond with her may be influencing her in ways we don't understand."

"I want to be there for her, but I think these sessions take as much out of me as they do her." Trip admitted.

"The fact she's able to induce the state herself and only needs my guidance is helping her feel empowered I think. But she's struggling to distance herself from the memories in a way that would be more effective under hypnosis. She starts reliving the trauma and as a part Vulcan that carries risks."

"I know. I'm checking her neural function regularly for signs of her lobotomising herself to handle it but… Do you have any idea how high the suicide rate is for Vulcan rape victims? It scared the shit out of me when I read about it. I wonder if helping her remember is a good idea. She's so exhausted after she tries to relive it all."

"You said yourself her brain injury is still healing and she's requiring more sleep as a result and don't forget the social element to those statistics. Vulcans are intensely private regarding their mating practices, they repress emotion because their emotions naturally run high and they handle trauma poorly. They are a remarkable species in terms of physical resilience but they are extremely high strung and susceptible to shame. In many ways Taryn got the best out of all three species. Orions are capable of great emotional strength, as are Humans and she seems much closer psychologically to their mindset than that of a Vulcan." She smiled. "I wish I could read her emotionally. Not just that it would help with this process but hybrid psychology is a fascinating and under explored field."

"Maybe she's better off not knowing but that bastard is out there and for all we know he'll try to finish the job."

"That's a distinct possibility Trip. Power Reassurance rapists often contact the victim following the assault but the level of violence used against her would seem to rule out that type of attacker."

"So she must be right that he had a partner?"

"By contrast Lisa wasn't sexually assaulted, the attack on her was far less frenzied. She also wasn't shrouded and dumped like Taryn and was placed in the opposite nacelle, positioned almost with reverence. Perhaps she interrupted them and they felt remorse at her death?"

Trip shook his head. "Being here is helping her heal I think. Being around the horses is doing her a power of good as much as being near her family." he opened the blinds and looked out of the window across the courtyard and the paddock. "There is nothing so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse. It's an old saying, John Lubbock I think. Nineteenth century." he whispered.

"She didn't want to stay with her parents?" Deanna asked.

"She never does. They're nearby here and she'd have to share a room with her sister again. She's still at home, still at school and Taryn says the boys room smells of thirty years of teenage boy funk and she won't sleep in there." Trip explained and smirked. "She's right too, it stinks like a sweaty jockstrap. It's like it's in the walls or something."

"Are you still sleeping on the couch?" Deanna asked.

"No, I've been upgraded to a camp bed." He smiled at her. "I'd be giving her some space even if we were still together. The last thing she needs is any pressure. Besides, I'm a light sleeper and since we changed all the windows the only way in is that door and they'd have to get past me and the dog to get to her. I feel safer sleeping in here."

"You're still sending her mixed messages." Deanna warned.

"What, because I'm giving her my support and affection?" Trip stated. "It's the least I can do after the way I messed her around and we both know where we stand."

"You're divorced but not separated."

"We're divorced but sharing accommodation." he corrected and responded to a knock at the door.

"Sorry to disturb you." Taryn's cousin Emily said politely. "But we saw the blinds were open and Miffy sent me over. She thinks Nemesis has mastitis and wondered if you'd take a look please Trip?"

"Sure, I'll be there in a minute." Trip smiled. "I was going to check on that mare of yours soon anyway."

"Thanks." she smiled and walked away.

"You're keeping busy then?" Deanna smiled.

"I'm a superhero around here when it comes to goats with sore teats, pregnant mares and chickens with haemorrhoids." he said as he grabbed his kit. "I'm just not sure I'm the best man to keep Taryn safe." he added sadly.

"Same time tomorrow?" Deanna asked as they headed for the door.

"Whenever is good for you. Even if we go riding we don't go far."

…

Barclay was helping out in the stables. He was dressed for riding in a polo top, riding pants and boots when the sound of a transporter distracted him.

"Where is she?" Heath asked as he approached him.

"Who? We have a number of shes here."

"You know who Barclay." He snapped angrily.

"She's not here." Trip said blankly. "She went out." he added as he continued mucking out the stall.

"You let her go alone?" Heath asked accusingly, his body language becoming increasingly animated.

"Did I say she was alone?" Barclay asked, not even looking at the man, inferring he'd rather look at a pile of horse droppings than his face. "She's visiting her brother's family, he's escorting her to and fro." he explained. "Not that it's any business of yours."

"Not my business? I care about her. All the evidence suggests more than you do." Heath spat angrily.

Trip looked appraisingly at his love rival. He could see why she would like him. He had an intensity about him and his light brown eyes looked intelligent. He was younger than Trip and looked lean and fit in uniform, his hair short and dark. He didn't have a jaw as strong as Trip's. His face had a lived in quality, softer with long dimples in his cheeks. Generally, Taryn was a good judge of character, better than him if the truth be told. She never formed friendships with people who weren't genuine and worthy. He was probably a nice man who would treat her well. The kind of man he'd like to think she'd end up with if anything happened to him, not that it mattered as he had no intention of dying any time soon or letting her go without a fight. Literally if need be. Something suddenly clicked into place in Trip's mind, something that derailed his train of thought and sent his adrenal glands into overdrive. Every description Taryn had given of her assailant while under self-hypnosis flashed before his eyes in an instant and coalesced into an image that made his blood boil.

"Do you have hair on your chest?" He asked tersely and threw down the pitchfork.

"What?" Heath snapped.

"You look in good shape, you wear a blue uniform. Let me smell your aftershave?" he asked as he approached him.

"What the fuck? Look pal, you aren't my type…"

"Was it you? Was it? You fucking deviant." Trip shoved him and he staggered backwards.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Heath responded incredulously.

"Show me your chest." Trip demanded pulling at the front of the man's uniform.

"I don't have to show you anything!" Heathcliff shouted and they struggled together.

"I knew it, you bastard!" Trip yelled triumphantly as he pulled the doctor's uniform open. "It was you, you hairy son of a bitch!"

"What was me?"

"You have chest hair, you're lean and you wear a blue uniform. Just like her rapist." Trip spat accusingly, holding the man by his shirt front and shaking him.

"Pardon me, but so do you!" the doctor ripped Trip's shirt apart. "How do I know you didn't rape her? You'd already ripped her heart in two and threw her out. You don't deserve her!"

They fell to the ground, grappling and trading punches. Rolling in the muck and straw as they struggled.

"Much as I cherish the secret fantasy of two handsome, bare-chested men wrestling homo-erotically in a pile of horseshit, what the fuck is going on?" Taryn asked with her hands on her hips standing over them.

"It was him!" Trip shouted, still struggling on the floor. "The body type, the uniform, the hair, even his stinking aftershave!"

"It wasn't him." Taryn said flatly. "He wears the same aftershave as my Dad. I'd have recognised that straight away." she explained. "Besides, he's been on Vulcan at a conference for the last fortnight."

"I just got back and heard what happened. Are you okay?" Heath asked her earnestly while held in a headlock.

"I think you should leave." she stated clearly.

"Yeah, go on. Get out of here." Trip shouted breathlessly and released his grip on his fellow combatant and they both struggled to their feet, both with superficial injuries and black eyes that were starting to swell shut.

"Both of you. Get your shit out of the cottage and go back to the ship Trip. I don't need this. You both claim you care about me yet the first chance you get you beat the crap out of each other. How is that supposed to make me feel? You're doctors and you're acting like two dogs fighting over a bitch in heat."

"It wasn't like that…" Trip protested.

"I don't want to hear it. I'm sick of the sight of both of you." She strode off towards the main house. "You have an hour Trip. I don't want to see you when I go back to the cottage."

"Great, now she has no one protecting her." Heath said accusingly.

…

"Taryn? Please open the door." Trip said as he knocked. He'd returned to the ship as she had requested but found she had flatly refused the Captain's offer of a security detail and night was beginning to fall in her part of the world. "I don't need to stay, or even come in. I just want to talk." She opened the door. Her expression hard. "I'm sorry. I get jealous, you know that. I know I have no right to anymore…Look I just want you to be safe so please let me get someone from security here? Or I'll just stay out here and keep watch if that's okay? I can't just leave you here on your own."

"I have J'hordak." she stated.

"I know he's a better shot with a phaser than I am but you don't have to rub it in." Trip smiled as she began to snort with laughter. "I'll stay out here tonight and we'll sort something out tomorrow for the longer term okay?"

"You don't have to stand outside." she conceded and he looked at her with hope in his eyes. "I'll get you a chair." She snorted as his expression fell. "Come in you big prat. I can't leave you out in the cold." She told him with a gentle smile. "Don't think all is forgiven though. I'm still pissed off with you."

"He started it." Trip defended as he stepped inside.

"No he didn't." Taryn corrected. "I know you too well to fall for that one."

"You like him don't you?" Trip asked quietly.

"Yes, I like him a lot." she stated. "But the last thing I need is for things to get more complicated and I've told him that."

"He's in love with you."

"He thinks he is. But he doesn't really know me." she said as she helped Trip set up the temporary bed. "He loves the idea of me and that's not the same thing at all. I'll get you some PJ's from the replicator."

"I was in love with you before I knew you." Trip said softly.

"He's not you." she replied and handed him the pyjamas. His hand touched hers inadvertently and he felt it, the love and the passion, some would call it the spark between them.

"Trip…" she gazed into his eyes. "I…I can't…Not with anyone. Not after…It's just too soon."

He cradled her cheek in his palm and smiled apologetically. "I know." He kissed her forehead tenderly with his eyes closed.

…

J'hordak was barking loudly, rousing him from his sleep. He grabbed the phaser he kept at hand and rolled out of the camp bed and into a crouch. Taryn appeared in the threshold of the bedroom door with her phaser in her hand. She hissed for the dog to be silent, shut him in the bedroom and made eye contact with Trip.

"Someone's outside." Taryn whispered and he nodded, hearing the veranda creak.

Trip crept to the window nearest the door keeping low to avoid casting a shadow in the room and peeked out. The shadowy figure was lurking by the door holding a weapon of some sort, a crossbow and they were unlocking the door from the outside. Trip signalled to Taryn that they were armed, his back pressed to the wall still crouched. He fought to control his breathing but his heart was pounding. He signalled Taryn to go back into the bedroom but she shook her head and assumed a combat stance, turning sideways to make a narrower target with her phaser trained on the door. He rolled his eyes, you can take the girl out of Starfleet but you can't take Starfleet out of the girl it seemed.

The door flew open and the man burst in. Taryn hit first, stunning him with the phaser and he loosed the bolt, narrowly missing her and hitting the door frame. The man dropped to his knees in front of Trip but was still conscious.

"Hold your fire!" Taryn shouted. "It's Uncle Fred."

"What?!" Trip shouted. Standing and grabbing the man by the collar and hauling him to his feet.

"I thought you went back to the ship Trip…" the man slurred, feeling the effects of Taryn's phaser.

"Oh, so you thought you'd come sniffing around Taryn with a loaded crossbow in the middle of the night did you?" Trip shouted.

"What's going on?" Beth asked as she appeared at the door.

"Ask your lecherous husband." Trip told her angrily but dropped the man on the floor as he passed out. "He thought I wasn't here and decided to pay your niece a nocturnal visit." he explained acidly.

"Disgusting…bastard." Beth kicked her husband in the gut to emphasize each word. "I want a divorce, you cock-sucking cunt." she shouted as she grabbed the isolinear skeleton key from his hand and stormed off with her fair curly hair bouncing.

"What do you want us to do with him?" Trip called after her, then turned to see Taryn dragging him out of the cottage by the ankle, letting his head bounce off the steps down from the veranda.

"He can sleep it off in the courtyard." Taryn said and stalked back into the house, she put her phaser down on the dining room table and went to the replicator.

"He could choke if you leave him like that." Trip told her.

"So?" Taryn replied coldly as she sipped from a glass of water. Trip sighed and went to roll the man onto his side with his foot. Sometimes the Hippocratic oath was a bitch.

"I think Beth got it the wrong way round, the problem is he's a cunt-sucking co…" he didn't finish the word, all he knew was pain at the sound of the phaser on kill as he fell on top of Fred. He looked up and saw a man smile as he walked past and into the cottage. A man he knew well, before everything went black.

 _Author's note:_

 _Any and all comments are welcome, along with predictions of whodunit._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Taryn dived for her phaser at the sound of the blast from outside. The man fired, vapourising it with her hand just inches away.

"You're a popular girl." the man said with a shy smile. "The dashing Dr's Barclay and Houghton and your uncle all desperate to be close to you." He walked slowly towards her. "I'm not surprised, you're so beautiful. I warned you that Barclay was no good for you when we made love but you still went back to him."

"Barton, I think you have the wrong idea…"

"It's you that has the wrong idea, sweetheart." he said softly. "No one loves you like I do. No one will ever love you like I do. I had to come back for you." She stood impassively as he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I told her it wasn't rape. I told her we were in love, it wasn't like it was with those other girls when we were growing up, but she just didn't understand. She was always so… melodramatic even at the foster home. She was just trying to protect me, like any big sister would. She always cleared up after me and kept me out of trouble. She always made my problems disappear. She was clever. She knew how to get rid of people."

"Lisa was your foster sister?" Taryn asked incredulously realising what he meant.

He giggled. "She caught us together. She sent me away and told me she'd take care of everything." He looked at her plaintively. "I thought she'd clean up the soiled sheets, I didn't know she planned to kill you. I came back later and she was cleaning up your quarters, there was blood everywhere and she said in less than twelve minutes it would all be over as soon as they tested the nacelles. She said she planned to put your combadge in Barclay's quarters and all the evidence would lead back to him, she'd even recycled all the letters I sent you." He turned away momentarily. "I didn't mean to kill her. She told me you were dead and I lost my temper. I took her to a nacelle too, then put the combadges in your husband's replicator once I'd dealt with the dog. I didn't kill him, I know how much the little guy means to you." He grasped her hand in his. "We can be together now. I'll be a good man to you. I won't ever divorce you or leave you." He pointed his phaser at the open front door. "I killed him for you. He never deserved you." He pulled her against his chest. "I love you Taryn."

Taryn fought down her urge to vomit along with her other emotions. She'd always been cordial to all Trip's staff, as she was with all her colleagues aboard ship. She had no idea this man was fixated on her. His face had been one of the first she saw after she regained consciousness and he was the one who raped her, stunned her dog and now he had murdered Trip. A man she loved more than anyone she'd ever met. A man who stood up and serenaded her in front of everyone in the bar on the day they met. A man whose love letters and poems stole her heart during the six weeks she resisted going on a date with him. A man who knew where the line was between a flirting, relentless suitor and a stalker and certainly never stunned her with a phaser and considered it a romantic overture. Her eyes fell on the closed bedroom door as she considered her options. The crossbow was on the floor by the wall but Barton was standing between her and it. He held a phaser in his hand and she recalled what she still held in hers by her side.

She gazed up at him and smiled, cupping his cheek in her hand. "Just let me change okay. I can't elope with you in my nightdress. I need to pack a bag." He seemed reluctant, still holding her. "Come with me if you like?" She smiled and led him to the bedroom by the hand.

There was a savage growl as she opened the door. J'hordak was bristling, his hackles up and his teeth bared. He was a quarter of the size of a husky but either no one had advised him of this fact or he never listened. As far as he was concerned he was the most badass big bad wolf on the block. All he knew was he'd met this man before, he'd had the nerve to enter his home, the audacity to try to kick him and the cheek to shoot him with a phaser. He was one pissed off pooch.

"Get him, J'hordak." Taryn ordered and hit Barton in the face with the glass she held in her hand, shattering it. The dog jumped and sunk his teeth into the man's inner thigh, refusing to let go as she grasped the man's wrist that was holding the phaser and shattered his arm with an upwards blow to his elbow. His phaser fell into her hand and she backed away towards the camp bed aiming it at him. "Heel boy." she called and her dog fell into place beside her.

"Why did you do that?" Barton asked plaintively as he cradled his shattered arm, his face bleeding. "You've got nothing without me. He destroyed your career, he wouldn't leave you alone even after he kicked you to the kerb. I killed him for you." She set his phaser to stun, green blood on her hand from the broken glass making it slippery in her grasp. "I knew you wouldn't kill me. I told you, if you just give me a chance...you'll love me more than you ever did him."

Her nostrils flared. How dare he say that to her? How could anyone sane believe she could love him after what he had done? How could he drug her, rape her and leave her at the mercy of someone clearly homicidal then rob her of the only man she'd ever truly loved and think she could ever fall in love with them? She let the phaser fall from her hand. He dived for it as she rolled, grabbed her uncle's automatic crossbow and cocked it. The bolt barely had time to settle into place as she fired.

She sobbed and the bow clattered to the floor as she stood over Barton. She looked out of the door at Trip's body slumped over her uncle, J'hordak licking his face trying desperately to rouse him. She reached for Trip's communicator on the coffee table with bleeding, fumbling hands and stumbled outside.

"P…Prior to Enterprise, urgent assistance required at this location." She dropped to her knees at Trip's side and fell across his body wailing. Lost in a paroxysm of grief and despair. Suddenly she froze on seeing a strand of her hair that had tumbled over his shoulder move. No, it was probably the cool breeze of the night air, he couldn't possibly be breathing. She felt for a pulse in his neck and her eyes widened. "Enterprise, medical emergency. I need a team down here now!" she shouted into the communicator as Data materialised with Worf and a security team, all with phasers drawn.

…

"Taryn?!" Trip screamed as he woke in a cold sweat.

"It's okay. I'm here." she said and grasped his hand. "Everything's fine." she whispered and kissed his forehead.

"It was Barton, he…"

"Don't worry. I took care of it."

"Did he hurt you?" he asked desperately, cupping her cheek in his hand.

She paused. "Let's just say he'll find it hard to hurt anyone else with a crossbow bolt through his forehead."

"Did he say why he did it? Or what happened to Lisa Meadows?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you all about it when you're stronger." She smiled and stroked his hair.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking around the room.

"The Starfleet Medical Facility in San Francisco." she whispered.

"I was that bad?" he asked and she nodded, avoiding his gaze. "Can you take off the restraint field? it's that button there. I need to go for a pee." he indicated on the cowl that covered his lower body.

She swallowed hard and tears formed in her eyes. "You have a urostomy implant in place, it's just... they said you may get some phantom sensations for a while. It's the residual phased energy."

"I really need to stretch my legs, just turn…" he looked at the controls with alarm, the restraint field wasn't on. "Oh God, he phased my…my…how much of me is left? I lost my legs?"

"They're still there, you're intact but he hit you in the back. Your spine…was…. They rebuilt it as best they could… It should have killed you." she told him with tears rolling down her face. "It may not seem like it but you were really lucky."

"Well… pass me my notes?" he asked plaintively. "Let me see?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea Trip." she shook her head.

"Just give me them." he argued.

"I'll fetch the doctor…"

"PASS ME MY FUCKING NOTES!" he bellowed. She grabbed the padd and tossed it onto his chest while trying to pull her hand from his. "Sorry, I'm sorry." he whispered and gripped it tight. He kissed her hand softly and rubbed it between his. "I've never shouted at you like that before and you don't deserve it now. I know…I know you only want to do what's best for me. Please stay?" She sniffed and nodded as she returned to the stool beside his bed.

He paled as he read the notes. With injuries this severe he genuinely had no right to be alive. In addition to widespread phaser burns most of the vertebrae in his thoracic spine had been phased from existence and his spinal cord damaged. The bone and musculature had been replaced genitronically, but the neural tissue was beyond repair. Two words kept striking him as he read, words he loathed putting in anyone's records. Inoperable. Permanent.

"They haven't looked into spinal regenerative therapy?" he asked her.

"They doubt you're a viable candidate with your genetic chemistry but the specialist said he would investigate further if you're willing. It's…"

"Pain versus gain." he finished the sentence he knew only too well. "How about further genitronic replication? It worked for Worf."

"They can't get it to work without killing the patient. Worf only survived because he's Klingon." she replied softly. "His redundant organs made all the difference to his outcome."

He swallowed and held the padd to his face as he began to sob. She cradled him in her arms and held him tight. "Did you talk to my Dad?" he whispered through his tears.

"He's been here with you the whole time, we both have. He just popped home for a couple of hours' sleep. He'll be back soon." she assured him. "He wanted to be here when you woke up but we didn't know when that would be and he was exhausted. We've been camped out here for days and he really needed a night in a proper bed."

"You're here though. And you'll stay?" he pleaded.

"I'm not going anywhere." she whispered into his hair.

…

"Okay Kiddo, what's this bullshit that your refusing to do your physio?" Reg II stated as he threw open the door of his room in the rehabilitation facility in London.

"I don't want to." Trip pouted, curled on his side away from him.

"This isn't your Geography homework and you're not ten anymore Trip. You can't say the cat pissed on your padd. Which no one believed incidentally."

"Miss Tremell believed it, she adored me." he replied.

"She didn't believe it and she thought you were a cheeky little shit." his father advised him. "A clever cheeky little shit admittedly."

"It's not fair Dad. She won't want me back now." Trip sniffed. "I'm a useless waste of space. They should have just let me die."

"I never raised my hand to you your entire life but if you ever talk like that again I'll slap you purple!" Reg II snapped. "Sit yourself up and talk to me like a man."

"I can't." he protested.

"Grab that trapeze thing and pull, it's not quantum mechanics." Reg II said as he stood with his arms folded. Trip grabbed the handle over his bed and pulled himself up with a struggle. "That's better. Now have you talked to her about how you feel?"

"No." he pouted.

"So you've just decided you know what she wants again?" Reg II asked. "Will you ever learn?" He shook his head. "Of all the traits you could have gotten from your mother."

"This has nothing to do with my mother." Trip snapped.

"The hell it doesn't. You decided she didn't want to adopt, you decided to divorce her and now you've decided she won't stick around just because you can't walk, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Your mother was just the same, she always knew what everyone else wanted and made damn sure that was what they got whether they liked it or not. It's why I couldn't live with her. The only good thing that came from our brief marriage was you and I'm not going to let you throw your life away and rot in that bed."

"I can't…she's green Dad. She needs a man who can…see to her needs."

"It's still early days. You know how these things work better than I do. Impotency isn't guaranteed with paraplegia. Besides, there's more than one way to skin a rabbit you know."

"Dad!" Trip protested with distaste.

"You're a doctor and a vet, how can you be so coy about sex?" Reg II stated incredulously.

"Let's change the topic." Trip suggested. "The Dragons are doing well. They might get the pennant again this year."

"I still remember your face when we had the talk." Reg II chuckled as he continued undeterred. "I thought you were going to pass out."

"Dad please?"

He laughed, "and when I showed you that book on biology and you saw the diagram of a vagina and asked where her winky was."

"Dad, give me a break?" Trip gripped the bridge of his nose despairingly.

"It was so cute." he laughed helplessly. "You went around asking everyone if they had a winky or a foo-foo for weeks."

"I was three Dad."

"I've got to tell the nurses that story. You know I don't think Taryn's heard it…"

"I submit okay. Get my chair." Trip snapped and threw back the covers. "Will you help me transfer?"

"Sure Kiddo." He smirked as he helped him move from the Biobed to the anti-grav chair. "Let's get you to that pool." He strode beside him amiably as they walked through the hospital. "When you get stronger we'll get you on a horse."

"I can't ride anymore." Trip protested. "I can't use my legs in case you haven't noticed."

"Paraplegics have been riding for centuries, maybe millennia. You just need a different kind of saddle. Taryn's already replicated one for you, but look surprised when she shows it to you. She's really excited about it."

"Thanks for ruining the surprise Dad." Trip shook his head. "How does the horse know what to do without you kicking?"

"You tell him. She says some of the horses at the school are trained that way. They have quite a few disabled riders apparently."

"I never noticed any." Trip replied.

"You weren't looking son." Reg II told him. "I've seen your new saddle, no one would know unless they were up close." he grasped his son's shoulder. "There's a lot you can still do. You just need to learn to adapt, and that's hard, no one's saying it isn't, but you're the most resilient person I know aside from that wife of yours."

"She's not my wife anymore." Trip stated. "Perhaps it's for the best. At least she won't have to feel guilty about divorcing me if she decides it's too much looking after me."

"So look after yourself, you idle prick. You have working arms and a brain. That's why you're here in this fancy rehab facility and what the exercises are for. So you can learn to fend for yourself and not be a pain in the ass. She's got better things to do with her time than wipe your butt and blow your nose. She'll have kids to do that for one day."

"That's unlikely Dad. Especially with me." Trip said sadly.

"She didn't tell you?" Reg II frowned.

"Tell me what?" Trip asked as they reached the door of the hydrotherapy room.

"She'll be in later, make sure you have a proper talk."

"Dad?"

"It's not for me to say. She'll kill me if I spoil all her surprises."

…

"These devices are to pick up the signals from your brain and stimulate your muscles in sequence and enable you to walk, they'll also prevent your muscles from atrophying…" the physiotherapist, a matronly woman of late middle years looked up at him as she fastened the belts around his legs. "You've heard all this before haven't you?"

"I've said all this before." Trip smiled. "Woah, sorry." he said as he nearly kicked her. "It's a little different on this side of the conversation." he said sheepishly.

"No that's good. Fine control can take a while to learn but a strong response gives us more to work with." She backed off a little. "Now let's see if you can walk a little with the parallel bars." He struggled to get up and stood unsteadily, gripping the bars for dear life. "Try not to overthink it. Just relax and take a step." she told him and his leg lurched forwards. "Excellent, remember all this will take time. You know the saying 'don't run before you can walk'." He took another step and smiled. He looked up as the door opened and Taryn entered. She cupped her hands over her nose and mouth and looked really thrilled to see him standing.

"I'd forgotten how pretty you are from this angle." He smiled as he reached the end of the bars. "Where do I go now? Woah!" he shouted as his legs gave way.

"I've got you." Taryn whispered as she held his upper body, his face close to hers. Their lips met in a searing kiss.

"Keep kissing him like that and he'll fall over all the time." the physio joked.

"Sorry, I didn't…plan to do that." he whispered. He hadn't kissed her on the lips since they separated and it was both wonderful and strange in equal proportions.

"Don't be sorry. It was nice." she replied as he managed to get his legs back under him and the physio brought his chair over.

"You're stronger than you look honey." the woman told her with a smile. "I think we'll leave it there and pick up again tomorrow. You did really well today." The therapist told him as they both helped him sit. "Your upper body strength is really improving."

"So did you decide to go for the implants?" Taryn asked as they headed back to his room.

"I'm still undecided and it all depends on how I get on with the removable stimulators first." he told her. "I talked to the doctor here about cord regeneration. They agreed to trial it to see if there's an improvement and how I cope, if I want to." he looked up at her. "Would it bother you if I did both? It's unusual to but from the research I've done the results might be better than the sum of their parts. Both treatments require a much longer time commitment than rehabilitation alone."

"Why would it bother me?" she asked as they arrived in his room.

"Oh okay." he forced a smile. He should have known, it's not as if they were still married or even together.

She took his chin and turned his face up to her. "I didn't mean I don't care. As long as you're happy, I'm happy and the options are yours to explore or ignore as you choose. If you just want to keep up the physio and leave things as they are that's fine too, either way I'll be here." She kissed him again and he pulled her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms.

"I love you so much. God I've missed your lips." he whispered and he kissed her again, a deep kiss fuelled with passion and yearning. "No stop…this isn't fair to you." He pushed her from his lap and moved his chair over to the window. "You deserve better than to be stuck with me like this and…we're already divorced anyway. Nothing's holding you here if you want to walk away."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind and rubbed his chest. "I'm going nowhere. You're the one stuck with me." She kissed his ear tenderly and began to sing softly. " _You say you hunger, for something you can't name at all and love is not enough anymore…_ "

"You called me an insincere prick when I sang that to you the day we met." he pointed out with a smirk.

" _If I was queen for just one day, I would give it all away. I would give it all away…"_

"… _to be with you._ " he joined in. " _If I was king for just one day, I'd have just one thing to say. You know that love is all we need to get us through._ " He sighed and pulled her arms tighter around him.

"But…I can't make love to you anymore." he said softly.

"As long as you have your clever fingers and your sweet mouth you'll make beautiful love to me." she assured him.

"You put that better than my dad. He said there's more than one way to skin a rabbit." He rubbed her wrist as she giggled. "He said to give it time, but nothing's going on down there."

"No one's told you you've lost all sexual function have they?"

"Well, no." he admitted. "But it's not working. I even tried looking at porn the other night, nothing."

"So you can't get a phsychogenic erection. The message isn't getting from up here," she kissed his temple tenderly, "to down there that you're turned on."

"You've been doing your homework." he said suspiciously.

"I learned this years ago. Edara sent me on a course when I was a kid." she nuzzled his neck. "So how about a reflexogenic one? Have you tried touching yourself? Applied a little...stimulation."

"Well I've washed down there obviously…no, not really." he admitted sullenly. "I haven't got any sensation in that area. It makes me miserable. I know what you're going to say… my body is different now and I should…experiment."

"Would you like me to….leave the room while you play with yourself?" She smirked.

"You are such a tease." He smiled. "Lock the door… and stay this side of it."

…

"Are you going to come for me?" she whispered breathlessly, between using her mouth and hands on him. "In my mouth?"

"Er…I thought I just did?" he replied with a puzzled look.

"Ooh a dry one. I thought you got a little vocal there." she giggled and slowly brought her caresses to a halt.

"A dry one? What the f…? I didn't ejaculate?" He buried his face in his hands. "Oh God. I bet it was retrograde. Into my bladder." he added at her puzzled expression. "It's common with paraplegia."

"Half an hour ago you were complaining you couldn't get it up at all." she advised him. "I had a lot more ideas on how to get you going and I didn't need any of them and that's before we even looked at drug therapy, suction pumps or electrostimulation." She gave him a knowing look. "Many men consider a dry orgasm the tantric equivalent of the Holy Grail you know? It can take years to master."

"I still harboured hopes of fathering your children." he said as she snuggled next to him and he wrapped his arm around her. "I need to ejaculate for that."

"Dr Barclay, you know perfectly well there are other ways to get your sperm out of you and into me." she stated. "While we're on the topic, the Captain called me. He made a suggestion and I sent the scans and tests you did when we created our mating bond off to Dr Mizan."

"Those scans are what, six years old? They're too out of date to be any use."

"Well, I was on the implant at the time so we couldn't get pregnant even if we'd wanted to and I wasn't long out of the Academy so we weren't ready for a family. But when Data told them what to look for they found a hormonal surge."

"Of course they did it was pon farr. It is a hormonal surge."

"Yes, but it triggered my Orion heat too, remember. It turns out I'm extremely fertile during pon farr, it's probably the only time I can conceive. Mizan says we're lucky the implant worked I was so fertile… and it was nearer seven years ago."

"But it was artificial…" he argued. "We triggered your cycle early didn't we?" she nodded. "What made the Captain think of that?"

"He said he was reading something about Vulcan history and spotted something on fertility."

"That doesn't ring true." Trip stated. "Vulcan mating and reproductive cycles aren't like that. This is something that must be unique to you."

"Well, that's what he said." she replied. "Maybe I misunderstood, but he's done us a huge favour if it means we can have a baby."

"A baby. Our baby." he smiled. "Little green hands and feet."

"Maybe little pink hands and feet?"

"Either way they'll be beautiful. So that's what Dad was being so cryptic about. I wondered…" His face fell.

"What?"

"Well you haven't been around much and it's not like we have an understanding between us. I thought maybe you'd fallen in love with Dr Heathcliff whatever-his-name is and got pregnant with him. I wouldn't care you know. I mean I'd care but…I'd still love you and want to be with you and your baby." He kissed her softly on the lips. "I'd never let you go to anyone else without a fight despite what I said earlier."

"His name is Houghton, you know that. Heath and I are still on friendly terms but he's dating Emily now." She smirked at his shocked expression. "They got chatting while she rendered first aid and helped him clean horse turds off his uniform, thanks to you. They really hit it off."

"Are you upset about it?"

"Of course not, I'm happy for them. I feel a bit guilty that I used him as someone to lean on knowing he felt more than I did but I was always honest with him about that. No, I've been busy trying to get a job. With you talking about resigning your commission and wallowing in self-pity I've been looking for work on Earth and I couldn't always get back to London during visiting hours." she explained. "The problem is everyone keeps telling me I'm overqualified or…. I may be paranoid but they seem enthusiastic when I send them my resume but when I go to interviews and they see me the post is suddenly already filled." She rubbed his chest affectionately. "Do you still want to get married again?"

"I don't know if I'll be able to walk you down the aisle."

"We did that last time. It's passé these days." She smiled at him.

"I expect a proper proposal and a ring and everything you know?" He smirked. "I won't marry just anyone who asks. I need to be wooed." He sighed and looked at his lower body with a pensive expression.

"So, how was it?" she asked with a smile.

"Different, very different but watching you…with your mouth and your boobies around my shaft drove me wild even if I couldn't feel everything and I definitely had an orgasm, not like before but it felt good. It was almost like watching you make love to someone else only I didn't need to be jealous."

"So I get to have a ménage a trois with both of you? Upstairs Trip and downstairs Trip." she mused.

"Was downstairs Trip hard enough for us to do it properly? Will he last long enough?"

"He seemed sturdy enough to me. You said you wanted me to get you a ring, that's something we can explore if you need help to keep going."

"A cock-ring?" he asked. "We've never really used toys before, perhaps that could be fun." he looked at her. "I'm glad my equipment seems to work but I'm not sure I'm happy that I'll have to take a more passive role. I liked going on top." he said with regret.

"You possibly still can. You're working on your upper body strength." she argued. "If you can commando crawl I'm sure you can go on top. We'll do what we've always done. Find imaginative and inventive ways to get the most pleasure out of our lovemaking. Physical love always changes over the years but you adapt and we'll adapt to this."

"You're so wonderful. How are you and Dad so positive about all this?"

"We thought we'd lost you. Barton told me you were dead that night and…I could have stunned him but I didn't because he told me he'd killed you and taunted me. I murdered him. And then I went outside and you were still breathing, barely. The first four days they didn't expect you to last each night let alone… then there were another ten days with you on the critical list and every surgery to stabilise your spine they told us there was a good chance you wouldn't survive it. Then it was days before you woke up. That put things in sharp perspective for both of us. We know you're on a hard road and sometimes you need a little tough love to keep you going but the alternative…your last words could easily have been 'cunt-sucking cock'."

Trip blanched at the thought. "I thought… Maybe you'd think I was a burden." he said sadly. "Too much of a burden."

"In sickness and in health remember." she whispered. "We may have divorced legally but I never forgot the vows we made."

"Neither did I." he replied and kissed her. "Dad said you told him you felt responsible for what happened. If you're with me because of guilt or pity, or just because you still feel bound by our vows…"

"I love you. I've always loved you and I always will. Yes, I feel bad that I never noticed how Barton felt and he insinuated himself into our lives but that has no bearing on how I feel about you." she told him as she nuzzled his neck.

"I was the one who let him in when I pushed you away. I know he made you feel you led him on but I don't believe that for a second, it was all in his mind. He was psychologically disturbed and so was Lisa. They were damaged by their experiences as children. If they'd gone to the Academy they'd never have graduated but they enlisted and slipped through the net. I never spotted it and neither did Duncan or Deanna when she was ship's counsellor. One good thing that came of it is they've been able to track down the other kids placed in that home and counsel them. Are you still remembering what happened, without Deanna's help?"

"I still have nightmares about it, every now and then something new pops up. I don't feel as frightened now he's dead, I don't even feel bad that I lied and said I dropped the phaser because my hand was bleeding. I didn't do it because of what he did to me, I had to avenge you. I just had to. I just feel sort of numb about the assault, not traumatised really." She looked away. "I really don't want to talk about it. It was ruled as justified and it's over. I just want to put it behind me and move forward, with you if you'll have me?"

"Of course I'll have you, I'm nothing without you." He kissed her softly. "I want to be married you. I can't wait to make a baby with you or adopt or even both." The kiss they shared was torrid and passionate as they held each other close. "Speaking of having you," he whispered breathlessly, "seeing as we're alone, in bed and naked how would you feel about pumping some more of my spunk into my bladder with your other lips this time?"

"You're such a romantic." She smiled and climbed on top of him, giggling.

There was a knock at the door. "You okay in there Kiddo?"

"We're not decent." Taryn shouted with a giggle as she worked with her hands to get him hard again.

"Um..er…. We're a little busy Dad. Do you want to get a coffee and come back in half an hour?"

"Okay." Reg II replied. "Go for it son. Give 'em hell."

"Twenty-eight minutes more than we need." Trip joked.

"My boy's in there getting laid!" echoed through the door as his father made a proud proclamation to the nursing staff, followed by cheers and what Trip suspected was the sound of a high-five. Taryn laughed hysterically at Trip's mortified expression.

"That's not funny. I'm here twenty-four seven remember?"

"So come home." she told him. "Be an out-patient. I know it's not really home but Miffy says we're welcome to stay at the cottage as long as we like."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I'm not…fully independent yet."

"I want you with me." she seized his lips in a deep hot kiss, desperate and intense. "I need you with me."

 _Author's note:_

 _The song featured is King for a Day by The Thompson Twins_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Are you sure about this?" Trip asked as he looked at the saddled horse next to him. He was in his chair on a large ramp.

"We're sure." Taryn smiled at her cousin Emily who was on the far side of the horse as she dropped the arm on his chair. "This is new to you but Warrior here is an old hand at this."

"He's a sweet old boy son." Reg II said holding the horses bridle. "You'll be fine." He patted the chestnut horse's neck and smiled.

"How do I get on?" Trip asked.

"Lift your right leg onto his saddle," Emily explained, "grab the horn and we'll steer you as you pull yourself across."

"I'm going to get behind you and pretend to give you a boost, but I'm really copping a feel." Taryn whispered in his ear as she slid her hand under his left thigh. "We're going to say one, two, three slide okay. Are you ready? One, two, three slide." They eased him across into the saddle and began fastening straps, one each side over his hips and at strategic points on his legs securing him to the stirrup leather and fender of the western saddle.

"As you get stronger and more used to it you'll probably find you prefer less straps and we can take some off." Emily explained. "It'll be like learning to ride again, for a while anyway. Say 'whoa' to make him stop. 'w-a-l-k' to make him go. 'Easy' to calm him down if you feel concerned."

Trip nodded. "Walk." He smiled with surprise as Warrior began to move off. Reg II walked with them for a while but soon Trip was brave enough to roam the paddock on his own. "How do I ask him to trot?" he asked then nodded as Warrior picked up pace having heard the word.

"He was like that as a kid." Reg II said to Taryn. "Couldn't wait to gallop off."

"Woah. Want to join me?" Trip asked and offered her his hand. She ignored his hand in favour of grabbing the saddle not wishing to risk unseating him and jumped up behind him, her hands holding his chest. "Trot Warrior. Good boy." he said as they trotted around the paddock. He turned as Taryn whispered in his ear. "Canter." he ordered and Warrior picked up the pace again.

"You seem happy." Taryn smiled and snuggled into his shoulder.

"When Dad said I could still ride I didn't really believe him. This is amazing. It almost feels like walking again. Not like Frankenstein's monster with the stimulators. Really walking." he told her.

"A lot of people have told Miffy that over the years." She sighed. "We should stop soon, you'll be getting tired. You'll be using unfamiliar muscles." she warned. "Maybe we could go for a longer ride tomorrow along the bridleway if you aren't too sore after your physiotherapy. What do you think?"

"Okay." he agreed reluctantly. "Miffy will tan our hides if she catches us riding double anyway."

…

"I'm not going to pull any punches with you, this course of treatment can be gruelling. The protocol is a half hour treatment with an eight hour recovery during which you'll be unable to move. Many experience flu like symptoms for the following seven days. Fever, nausea and vomiting, chills. We repeat the treatment every fourteen days for a cycle of six treatments. Then after four weeks we can begin a new cycle." Dr Bashir explained.

"And he'll be conscious throughout?" Taryn asked. "You're talking about firing a low intensity plasma shock at his back with him fully conscious and you aren't even certain it will work?" she shook her head.

"He needs to be conscious to monitor his neurological status." Bashir explained. "Because this treatment stimulates stem cells in neural tissue your husband's genetic abnormality complicates matters and will make it less effective."

"And the holographic simulations you've run?" Taryn asked.

"They indicate a forty percent likelihood of regeneration of spinal cord tissue of between three and five microns each cycle in your husband's case."

"Wait? I was led to believe this treatment could be measured in millimetres and you're talking about microns per cycle?" Taryn stated incredulously. She looked at Trip in alarm.

"Five microns in the right place could restore my urological function, or the nerves to my bowel." Trip stated. "Or some of the sensation in my genital area."

"Or it could leave you in permanent pain." Dr Bashir advised him. "I can only offer options. There is no miracle cure."

"You've already decided to go ahead with this. Explaining this to me is just a formality isn't it?"

"Taryn, we're remarried now and you're part of this decision." Trip grasped her hand.

"If you were sitting where he is, would you think it was wise for your patient to undergo this procedure with odds like forty percent? With all the pain and risk that it entails?" Trip looked at the ceiling in response and closed his eyes. "I thought so." she whispered.

"I'm not sitting that side of the table, I'm sitting in this chair with… implants ionising my bodily waste. I can't practice as a doctor or a vet from this chair."

"This isn't a cure." Taryn stated.

"No, but in combination with the stimulators it could make a big difference." Trip stated.

"So what are we committing to? A treatment? A cycle?" Taryn asked.

"A cycle. Less than that will be of no benefit, however you can withdraw from the treatment at any stage if the side-effects are too extreme. Many don't stay the course." Bashir stated.

…

"You don't have to be here." Trip said as he lay face down on the treatment table.

"Yes I do." Taryn replied as she pulled up a stool and sat, her arms resting on the end of the table and her face close to his. She was wearing a red surgical gown with her hair covered by a cowl, as were the rest of the team working in the room.

"I'm probably going to be a wimp about this." he forced a smile.

"Doctors always make the worst patients." she told him as she rubbed his arms. "Besides, I know you're a wimp. I've seen you on a transporter platform. All flop sweat and white as a sheet. That away mission was why I finally gave in and went out with you."

"If I'd known pity would work I'd have been pathetic in front of you earlier." he mused. "That colour doesn't do you any favours Sweet-stuff. You look like a scarlet nun." he smirked. "A cute scarlet nun anyway."

"We're about to activate the restraint field Trip." Dr Bashir stated. "You'll be unable to move from your upper chest down for the duration of the procedure."

"Okay." Trip replied and took both of Taryn's hands in his.

"Charge the activator, stand by for first burst." Bashir ordered.

"Ready doctor." a technician responded.

"Activating." Bashir said coldly.

Trip let out a blood curdling scream as the plasma canon fired into his spine in pulses. He grasped Taryn's hands with all his strength and collapsed bathed in sweat as it completed its firing pattern.

"What's your full name?" a nurse asked him.

"R…Reginald Endicott Barclay the Third." he replied.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"What the fuck?" Taryn exclaimed. "Is this a hospital or the fucking Inquisition?"

"It's okay, they're standard questions to gauge my cognitive function. I'm forty-nine."

"I know but they're torturing you. It's like…" He grasped her wrist to calm her.

"What's your wife's middle name?"

"Boudicca." he replied.

"Sign here please?" He took the stylus and signed. She blanched on recognising the most basic of fine motor function tests.

"Stand by for the second burst." Bashir stated. "Activating." She closed her eyes as her husband screamed and pleaded for them to stop. His hand still gripping hers.

"What's 17x189?" the nurse asked.

"3213" he replied, sweat on his brow and tears in his eyes.

"Your mother's first name?"

"Alicia." he responded.

"The name of your dog?"

"J'hordak."

"Please sign?"

Tears rolled down Taryn's face as Bashir called the third burst, knowing there would be twenty-two more.

…

"Stop. Pull over." Trip gagged as she steered the hovercar into a layby. He opened the door and vomited over the kerb. She got out and ran around to his side of the car carrying a bag.

"It's okay Sweetie. I came prepared." she said holding his head and rubbing his shoulders as he leaned out of the car being violently sick. She pulled a packet containing moist wipes from the bag and wiped his face tenderly as soon as he stopped. "There. Is that better?"

"Did you bring the whole house?" he asked looking at the size of the bag. "You're going to be a great mom. You're already like Mary Poppins." She handed him a cool pack that he placed on the back of his neck. It felt soothing and wonderful.

"You learn how to pack a go bag like this after many field trips with unruly small children." She smiled and pulled out a flask from behind his seat. "This may help, it's ginger tea." she said as she poured some into a cup. "Miffy and Mum swear by it for morning sickness, I thought it might settle your tum a little."

"It's nice." He forced a smile after he sipped a little. The tea was pleasant but he felt terrible. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For bringing tea. For not saying I told you so. For sitting with me for over eight hours where I did nothing but moan and cry. When he said I wouldn't be able to move for that long I thought I'd be restrained, I didn't think I'd be terrified to move because it hurt so much." He sipped some more tea and squeezed her hand as she rubbed his upper arm. He was in his underwear, a t-shirt and shorts. He'd been in too much pain to dress further and been desperate to leave the hospital but fortunately it was a warm day. Medically there was no need for him to stay and they tended to keep everyone in till morning if they were there into the evening.

"We should keep going if you're up to it. I can take better care of you at the cottage than I can at the roadside."

"You take amazing care of me wherever I am." He finished the tea and handed her the cup which she shook out and returned to the top of the flask. She handed him something from the bag before she fastened it. "Sick bags? Darling, how did you know?" he said facetiously at her gift and shifted in his seat grimacing in pain.

"Do you want your hypospray?" she asked.

"No, I can't have any more yet. It's too soon." he replied as she stood and closed the wing door then returned to her side of the car and stowed her bag. "I feel like shit." he told her.

"I know Sweetie." she said as she re-joined the highway.

"You were right." he stated.

"I'm always right." she reminded him with a smirk.

"No…I can do research or write. Maybe if I set up in practice with a partner to do the leg work I could still keep my hand in. I can ride, we can still make love. Maybe walking, pissing and shitting aren't all they're cracked up to be."

"You have two weeks to think about it. See how you feel once you get through this week." She grasped his hand that was on his thigh. "Let's play everything by ear okay?"

"I can be a dad sitting down I suppose."

"Is that what this is about?" Taryn asked. "Trip, our biological mothers were awful, they walked out on us. Pun intended. Whether you can walk or not doesn't define you as a man and it certainly won't define you as a father."

"I suppose so." he pouted and folded his arms. Looking out of the car pensively. "I just…before all this happened I could contribute around the stables and now I'm…I feel useless."

"Trip, you're still in rehab. Give yourself some time?" Taryn advised.

"That's all I keep hearing, give it time." Trip snapped.

"How many times have you given patients that advice?"

"Touché." he conceded.

…

"God this is boring." Trip complained as he sat on the static bike peddling using the stimulators strapped to his legs. "This journal sucks too." he flung the padd across the room. "I went to medical school with the guy who wrote that article and he didn't know his gluteus maximus from his antecubital fossa. He couldn't find his scrotum with both hands and a torch."

"What's his article about?" Taryn asked idly as she flicked through her communiques.

"The application of humanoid surgical techniques on amoebic life forms." Trip replied acidly.

"So he likes to slice up blobs. Why are you so pissed off about it?" she said distractedly. "It's not Zoonotic Diseases. He's hardly encroaching on your specialty."

"He just got a fellowship at the Daystrom Institute." Trip pouted. "Living proof that even turds can float to the top."

"Trip, Daystrom rejected my thesis proposal. Get over it. I'll try again." She turned and looked at him pedalling with his arms folded.

"What?" he asked her.

"Have you thought about trying a real bike if you're bored pedalling in here?"

"I don't think I could balance a real bike. I'm doing this because I keep falling over when I stand up. I just can't get the hang of it but I need the exercise."

"Being tall probably doesn't help. You could use your crutches?"

"Fuck the crutches." he replied coldly. "It's bad enough being crippled without looking like one."

She shook her head, there was just no talking to him when he was in this kind of mood but she certainly wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. "How about a tricycle?"

"I'm not a toddler." he protested. "I'll look a total dick on a trike."

"You liked the look of those hand bikes your Dad found on that old Paralympic footage. We could come up with something like that but for your legs. Some kind of three wheeled recumbent bike." she suggested.

"That might be worth investigating." he said as the bike beeped and he stopped pedalling.

"Do you need a hand?" she offered.

"No, I need to do this myself." he replied curtly. "Thank you for the offer though." he added guiltily as he released the straps on the pedals with a button on the console of the bike. He put one foot down tentatively, as if seeing if it would take his weight. "Don't overthink it Barclay, just get off the bike." he muttered under his breath. He raised his other leg and swung it over the saddle but snagged his sweat pants on it and swore. He took his hand off the handlebars to extricate himself and overbalanced, landing in a heap on the floor. "Do I look like I broke anything?" he asked Taryn tiredly.

"No, your legs seem to be pointing in the right directions as far as I can tell." she told him and walked over to their kitchenette. She knew better than to offer to help him up unless he was obviously hurt.

He nodded and struggled to get to his knees. Then gave up and commando crawled over to the couch. He leaned on the seat with his upper body and pushed, struggling to get his legs under him. He grabbed the back of the couch and hauled himself to his feet, then turned and sat, examining his elbow.

"That's a good looking carpet burn." she told him as she appeared at his side with the first aid kit. "Let's check you for damage."

"I'm never going to get the hang of these things." he said forlornly as he pulled off the straps.

"Even if you don't walk with them, they're keeping your leg muscles working and helping you get a cardio work out." Taryn stated as she helped him pull down his sweat pants. "At least that's something."

"Your cheery optimism can grate on a person's nerves you know." he said darkly holding a dermal regenerator over his skint elbow.

"Just as well I'm good in bed too then isn't it?" she said brightly as she checked his legs. "Looks like you have a bruise coming up on this shin. You must have hit it on the bike."

"Let's see?" he said leaning forward. "Meh…That's not so bad. I'll leave it and see how it looks tonight." She nodded and kissed his injured shin followed by his lips. "What's that for?" he smiled.

"You've been like a bear with a sore chuff all day. I'm hoping to distract you from your shitty mood."

"Sorry." he said and pulled her onto his lap. "The last thing I want to do is piss off my beautiful wife."

"So what did you learn from that fall?" she asked, much in the way she spoke to her students.

"I learned that if I hurt myself you'll kiss it better for me." he kissed her neck.

"And?" He looked at her with a puzzled frown then continued kissing her face tenderly. "How about don't wear baggy trousers that can get hooked on the seat?" she suggested.

"Good point." he replied and pulled her top from her shoulder to kiss it. "I'll just stay naked all the time from now on."

…

"I wasn't this bad last time." he said forlornly as he sat on the floor next to the toilet where he'd just thrown up. His anti-grav chair was lying on its side by the bathroom door. "Deanna must think I'm really rude."

"Did you hurt yourself?" Taryn asked as she stepped over the chair and nudged it so it bobbed into its upright position then crouched at his side. "You're burning up." she said as she touched his forehead gently. "Do you want to lie down or get back in your chair?" She grabbed a washcloth and wiped his face tenderly.

"I don't know." he whimpered.

"Well you can't stay on the floor." Silently cursing the fact they didn't have an anti-grav unit, she got behind him, put her arms through his and grasped his forearms. "Ready?" she asked and he gripped his own wrists. She lifted him, pulling him over to his chair and into the seat.

"You aren't supposed to lift me like that. You'll hurt yourself." he chided weakly as she put his feet in the foot rests.

"I'm more likely to hurt you than me." she whispered apologetically.

"I have broad shoulders, I can take it." He forced a smile but it faded fast. "God I feel like the life got sucked out of me."

"It'll pass." she assured him and cupped his cheek in her hand. "You'll feel better before you know it."

"Can I do anything to help?" Deanna asked.

"I'm sorry I'm not much of a host at the moment." He forced a smile as the empath placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Can I get you something to drink Trip?" Troi asked.

"Ginger tea helps if you don't mind." he replied and she nodded.

"I had no idea he was this bad, I would have come earlier…" Deanna began after Trip had made his excuses and gone to bed.

"Oh, this is the worst he's been. He's certainly never crashed his chair into the woodwork and turfed himself out of it in a mad dash to the bathroom before. I think he was shy about throwing up in front of you." Taryn explained. "It's the regenerative therapy. Every other week he's riding, independent, out on his trike tear arsing around Wiltshire with his stimulators on with J'hordak running like the clappers beside him. The treatment knocks him sideways for a few days then he's back to his old self till the next session. He's fitter than he's been in years, you should see him with his shirt off. He looks really buff. Unfortunately, you just caught him on a bad day."

"Has there been any improvement?" Deanna asked.

"The first cycle he gained a micron of neural tissue."

"How long is a cycle?"

"Six sessions over twelve weeks." Taryn replied.

"Oh my God, that's…"

"It sucks." Taryn replied bluntly.

"But he told me the treatment won't enable him to walk. Why put himself through that?"

"He hopes it may restore some sensation or even his bowel and bladder control. He's struggling with the stimulators. He has good control but he's finding balancing on legs with no neural feedback extremely difficult. In cybernetics bi-pedal locomotion is among the toughest tricks to pull off. Just ask Data how many operations it takes him to perform it. Humanoids take it for granted." She sipped from the mug in her hand. "Until they lose the skill and have to learn it again."

"When you say restore sensation…" Deanna began.

"I certainly have no complaints in the bedroom and he hasn't voiced any." Taryn assured her. "It's very different…"

"Different how?" Deanna smiled, "My interest is professional. I sometimes have to counsel individuals with similar injuries and I'd value your opinion."

"It wouldn't bother me if it wasn't professional." Taryn smirked. "Trip is coy about these things, not me." She paused for a moment. "He says when I'm doing my stuff down below it's like watching me with someone else. It turns him on. It's like, you know how your brain is your biggest erogenous zone? He's lost the connection between his brain and his genitals. They both work but not in tandem anymore."

"And from a…functional point of view?"

Taryn smirked again. "He achieves erection easily with manual stimulation, experiences orgasm but ejaculation is either non-existent or retrograde. That's what it says in his notes anyway. He has ejaculated a few times but it's far from reliable and usually requires…equipment."

"So you'll still need help to conceive?"

"The signs are I'll go into pon farr during the next few months and we have a stasis unit in the bedroom. Let's just say we haven't let those ejaculations go to waste and fortunately my husband is a doctor." Taryn smiled.

…

"I am not sure it is a good idea to visit them unannounced Geordi." Data stated as he piloted the shuttle.

"Deanna's worried about him. You heard what she said. He looked like shit and although Taryn said it was temporary because of the therapy she's worried she's just putting a brave face on it." Geordi replied. "Whoa, someone's going like a bat out of hell down there." he commented as he spotted a hoverbike on the road below weaving in and out of traffic at high speed.

"They are certainly exceeding the speed restrictions for a carriageway of this type." Data added.

Geordi let out a low chuckle. "They must have hit a speed trap, look there's a cop on his tail."

"Why do you find that funny? Is it schadenfreude?" Data asked.

"Probably. When I was a kid I always got caught speeding. You should have seen the cops faces when they found out I was blind." he laughed.

"You repeatedly broke traffic regulations when you were young?" Data raised his brows. "I did not realise you were such a scofflaw."

"It's part of growing up Data. Breaking the rules, getting caught. Hopefully learning from the experience."

"It is surprising most humanoids reach adulthood without serious injury." Data commented.

"It's surprising some Humans reach adulthood at all." Geordi said as they circled to land. "Is this the place? No wonder B-4 likes it here." he commented as he looked out over the old manor house with sweeping grounds. "I thought it was a quaint bed and breakfast. It's a hotel." They landed outside the main house and disembarked and a fair haired young woman in a nearby paddock who was lunging a horse called out to them.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked, shielding her eyes from the late afternoon sun with her hand. Data and Geordi recognised her as Taryn's cousin Emily, however it was clear they hadn't met her in this timeline.

"We're looking for Dr and Mrs Barclay." Data replied.

"Trip is out I think, but Taryn should be home. It's around the back of the main house, the second cottage on the left." she replied with a smile.

Data thanked her and the two men followed the path around to the holiday cottages and soon heard the sound of Taryn singing happily.

"Things cannot be that bad if she is singing so cheerfully." Data reasoned.

"Yeah, but Reg is out." Geordi argued. "She might be revelling in her temporary freedom."

"You suspect they are having marital difficulties again?" Data asked.

"I don't know Data. It can't be easy for either of them considering all that's happened." A dog began to bark as they drew closer and knocked on the door.

She seemed really pleased to see them and greeted them both with a warm hug.

"Trip will be back soon, he had a physio appointment at the hospital today. I was just having a tidy up while he's out from underfoot. Come in, come in. Can I get you anything?" Taryn asked politely. "J'hordak, quiet." she told the dog who was going berserk with excitement. "Sorry, have a seat and he'll calm down."

"Did Trip's dad take him to his appointment?" Geordi asked as she carried over a tray with a caffetiere.

"No he went on his own. He's been going under his own steam for a few weeks now." She said brightly and smirked at their surprised expressions. "Deanna sent you to check up on us didn't she?"

"She was… somewhat concerned." Data stated.

"I'm not surprised. I would be too if I popped in to visit a disabled friend and he ended up sprawled across the bathroom floor with spew down his shirt, but that really wasn't a typical day." She looked up at the sound of a hover vehicle pulling up outside. "That'll be my man now."

A few moments later Trip entered the cottage leaning heavily on crutches wearing the bands around his legs over bike leathers.

"How did go?" Taryn asked as she walked over to greet him.

"It was fine… Hi Geordi, Captain." Trip beamed. "I'd shake your hands but I tend to fall over if I let go." he staggered over to the couch and plopped onto it.

"Is that your hoverbike Trip?" Geordi asked looking out of the window.

"Yes, isn't she great?" he smiled, then momentarily cast a guilty look in Taryn's direction as he removed his jacket.

"What? What did you do?" she asked, spotting his expression.

"Nothing." Trip lied badly. "I may have to attend a driver education session in the next few weeks but that's purely voluntary."

"Purely voluntary?" she asked with an arched brow.

"Yes voluntary…if I don't want another speeding charge on my licence."

"We saw you, that was some slick riding." Geordi said. "I'm surprised the cop caught up with you."

Trip sniggered proudly at the compliment and Taryn slapped him across the upper arm. "I don't believe you Trip. Are you trying to make me a widow?"

"Ow! Don't hit me woman, I'm a cripple." Trip protested.

"Cripple my arse. You won't be happy till you're doing warp speed on that thing with your hair on fire."

"Come here." he said and pulled her onto his lap. "I'll be more careful in future, I promise." He pouted over her shoulder. "I'll even pinky swear."

"You said that last time, and the time before that." she reminded him moodily with her arms folded.

"I wanted to get home to you." he told her. "I missed you today."

"Really?" she asked with a pout. "Well, make more of an effort to get home to me in one piece or paraplegia will be the least of your worries." He smiled and kissed her shoulder.

"So how's the Enterprise?" Trip asked as he let Taryn up to serve the coffee. "We've been meaning to catch up with you all before you leave orbit."

"Everything is fine, except we are missing two department heads." Data stated.

"Yes, well. I still don't know if I'll ever be able to practice medicine on a starship." Trip replied.

"It was not my intention to pressure you…" Data stated.

"I know." Trip replied. "I could consult, I could still perform surgery but you need a doctor who can get to patients wherever they are no matter how remote. Alien environments, the floor." He smirked. "I just don't have the mobility anymore. On a ship I'd be ballast."

"Clever ballast." Taryn added with a smile as she handed him a drink.

"How's the job hunting going?" Geordi asked her.

"Awful, Daystrom rejected my doctoral thesis proposal. I'm currently working as a riding instructor here." she replied.

"May I read your proposal?" Data asked.

"Of course." she said and retrieved a padd from the desk and handed it to him. He scrolled through it in seconds.

"They rejected this?" Data raised his brows. "This could prove to be valuable research." he handed it to Geordi.

"You're studying variances in the manufacture of memory modules and anomalies it causes in the way they etch data?" Geordi looked at Data. He knew it was a fault in the fabrication of Bastion's core that allowed him to be sentient, but Bastion didn't exist in this timeline. Not yet anyway and never would if she abandoned this line of enquiry.

"I have a theory that some memory cores that are quality rejects could be able to sustain a consciousness in the way you do but other memory units don't. I thought I was on to something but Maddox shot it down. He chaired the review committee. I'll give it more thought and maybe come back to it later. I have a few other ideas too."

"The idiot should give you a job rather than discredit you. The man's a jerk." Trip stated angrily.

"I have to agree." Data added.

"He's never forgiven me for dropping cybernetics to work as an Ops Officer and then becoming a teacher. He told me I lack devotion to the science of robotics and don't have the dedication to earn a doctorate. He said if it mattered to me I'd have worked on it straight after my master's instead of enrolling at the Academy and going on to study Developmental Psych. Besides, cybernetics is a boy's club. I learned that when I was fourteen, there's nothing to be gained from being bitter about it." Taryn replied. "I've been talking to my friend Barsha. We're considering funding our own research and publishing it but that's a hard road to take and we're hopefully starting a family soon."

"And apparently I have you to thank Captain." Trip smiled. "I can't believe I didn't think of it."

"I am glad the information I stumbled upon was of help." Data smiled.

"I was thinking of going for a ride before dinner. Would you two like to come along?" Trip suggested.

"A ride? On a horse?" Geordi asked. "I've never ridden before."

"Nor have I." Data stated.

"Well, I happen to know a very patient riding instructor." Trip smiled.

"Are you sure I am not too heavy for him?" Data asked tentatively from the back of the horse.

"No, Obsidian is a Friesian. These horses can pull carts and used to carry men in full armour into battle. Besides, you aren't that heavy Captain." Taryn assured him as she gave him the reigns.

"Please, call me Data." he told her and she smiled.

"What's this one called?" Geordi asked.

"That's Turncoat." Trip called from the ramp as he transferred himself from his chair to Warrior unaided and fastened his legs to the saddle with the straps. They had also been impressed that he saddled him himself by altering the hovering height of his chair.

"Okay, always approach from the left, put your foot in the stirrup, grab the saddle and swing yourself up." Taryn told Geordi. "Lovely." she said and went round to make sure he found the other stirrup with his foot before mounting the horse she was going to take out, Widowmaker.

"I didn't expect you to be so independent." Geordi told Trip as they rode together. "Especially after Deanna told us…"

He gave an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, well the regen therapy was rough. I'm not carrying on with it. If it was just me I might but Taryn's been there for every moment and it's hard on her too. I've learned a lot of tricks in rehab, and here. I never realised how many disabled people ride until I was one." Trip explained. "Taryn's great at coming up with ideas of things I can still do and ways to adapt."

"How are things between the two of you?" Geordi asked.

"Better than ever." Trip grinned.

"You seem well." Data told Taryn.

"Thank you, I feel well. Professionally I'm in a bit of a black hole but I'm content, happy. It's great having time together. We've always been so busy."

Emily rushed up to them on the hoverquad they used to deliver feed to the paddocks. "It's Brandy, her foal is breeched." she shouted. "She kicked the foetal transporter. It's buggered."

"We're going to need someone strong Data." Taryn said dismounting her horse as Trip galloped back to the stables. "Emily, can you take care of Geordi and the horses and I'll take Data on the quad?" she asked and Emily nodded.

Trip was back in his chair outside the stable and fastening his stimulators when they arrived moments later.

"I don't know if I can do this." he told Taryn quietly as she entered the stable. Brandy was lying down and clearly in distress.

"You'll be fine." she assured him. "We need to get her standing Data." she explained as Trip pulled off his sweater and washed his hands in a bucket.

"Geordi, I'm going to need you to hold me up." he told his friend as he arrived. "We need to get this foal out fast." He pulled a long glove on and covered it with lube. "We need to do it the old fashioned way."

"Man, I'm not even gonna ask where that arms going." Geordi said as he supported his friend. "Aw Jeez." he winced as Trips arm disappeared inside the mare as Taryn held back her bandaged tail and she and Data held her steady.

"Come on baby, give me that hoof." Trip grunted as he groped around. "There." he said and struggled to pull it out. "Em, get the chains ready?"

"Already done." she replied as he hunted for the other foot.

Trip strained as he pulled up the other foot. "Okay," he said as he rapidly looped the chains around the foal's feet, "now we pull." He and Geordi heaved like a tug of war until the foal dropped onto the straw. "Let me down." Trip stated and he dropped onto his side. He cleared the membrane from the foals face. "Come on little fella." he urged as he suctioned the foals nose and mouth and encouraged him to breathe. "Taryn?" he asked and she grabbed the foals back legs tipping him upside down for a few moments before lowering him to the floor. Trip slapped his ribcage a few times before cupping his hands around the foal's snout and blowing into his nose a few times. "There we are." he grinned as the foal began to breathe and wriggle. "Let's leave them to it. Mommy can do the rest."

"That was a remarkable experience." Data stated as they watched the mother clean up her foal from a discreet distance. He was already standing on wobbly legs and trying to nurse.

"You can say that again." Geordi grinned.

"It's usually not such a panic but the little guy decided to shove his butt out first instead of his front feet." Trip explained, back in his chair. "You can lose them if you don't get them out fast. They suffocate."

"He's gorgeous." Taryn said as she helped Emily unsaddle and brush the horses they had been riding.

"He's yours." Emily told him.

"I thought you had plans for him?" Trip asked with surprise.

"Yes, we planned to give him to you as a birthday gift last week, but he was late arriving." Emily grinned. "Warrior isn't pacey enough for you and our more challenging mounts aren't trained to voice commands. It'll be a long time till he's old enough but his little fella should run like the wind given his family tree. We'll help you train him and everything and he'll always be welcome to livery here. But he'll be yours the same way Obsidian is Taryn's. No one else will ride him without your permission."

"I don't know what to say." Trip smiled. "…Thank you of course." he added with a grin. "We've got three fur-babies now." he told Taryn as she moved beside him. "Two horses and a dog."

"Still think you can't practice?" Taryn asked Trip askance.

"I'd need help." he stated. "Maybe I'll ask around? See if some newly qualified vets need a job."

"I'm sure Miffy would let you use one of the outbuildings she hasn't converted yet. There isn't a vet for miles around here." Emily stated.

Trip gazed thoughtfully at his foal. Maybe he could still open his own veterinary practice. It had always been a childhood dream.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 _She was flying, below her were the strands, tendrils flashing with their electrical charge as it travelled along the neural fibre. Suddenly it stopped, it was damaged, torn, charred and the signal could no longer get through. She flew back to the brainstem and fitted a data port and giggled as she realized she'd turned her man into a net-boy. She flew back to the damage, fighting the urge to cry and began grafting sensors to the nerve endings and connecting them to a transmitter…._

Taryn sat up with a start, bathed in sweat. "Surely it's not that simple?" she whispered with a frown. Barclay was asleep beside her so she slid carefully from the bed, trying not to disturb him.

Trip woke with a start and found he was alone in the bed. He checked the chronometer. Taryn was normally asleep by now, in fact she woke him when she turned in. He transferred swiftly to his chair and headed for the living room.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" he asked.

"I need you to tell me I'm not going mad." she said as she tapped at her terminal. "Will this actually work?" she asked and displayed a holographic image that looked like a squid or a jellyfish.

"I don't know, what is it? One of your cybernetic beasties?" he asked.

"It's a cybernetic neuro-implant and it connects to this..." she replied softly and overlaid the image of a spinal cord and brain with a data-port fitted. He looked more closely. "It's similar in principle to your stimulators. I think it could bridge the damaged area of a spine but…"

He moved closer and turned the image. "This is sophisticated stuff. How did you come up with this?"

"Promise you won't laugh?" He nodded in agreement. "I dreamed it."

He snorted with laughter and she stormed off past him towards the bedroom. "I'm sorry." he caught her hand. "You may be on to something. Let me take a look."

"I mean, it's an electrical signal, and there are other ways to conduct that signal." she reasoned as she returned to her seat.

He rubbed his chin. "I see a problem here, you can't attach a sensor to a nerve like that. It would disintegrate. But you could graft bio-mimetic fibres and incorporate the sensor with the transmitter. It would be more sophisticated than the implanted stimulators they use now but you'd get more fine control. With a neural implant in the cerebellum rather than a data-port it would work even better."

"Trip, cybernetically speaking the technology exists to make this two-way." Taryn said earnestly. "It's inside Data. But there would be significant signal loss from the grafted fibres. It wouldn't be perfect but you'd get some sensation as well as motor control."

"Show me?" he asked, his face both nervous and excited as she showed him what she had in mind. "How much sensation are we talking about?" He asked without taking his eyes from the screen.

"Maybe ten percent of normal, it's hard to say. I've never considered working with organic tissue before." Taryn admitted.

"Well, I've fitted positronic neural implants to patients with severe brain injuries. It's not exactly the same as we're talking here but although you get some improvement immediately the progress is long term. In time the neural tissue adapts to the implant, it becomes more sensitive to it and you get an improvement of around five to ten percent a year after that."

"Theoretically that seems to apply here." Taryn drummed her fingers on the desk. "We're looking at years of work before we even consider clinical trials…even then…maybe decades."

"I know." he agreed. "But this is promising. You're really on to something with this."

"I need a research partner with a medical degree or I'm sunk before I start." she told him.

"I suppose I could clear some time from my busy schedule." he said with mock reluctance. "I could drop a couple of my other women if need be."

She elbowed him playfully for teasing her. "We've never worked together before."

"We've liaised on child development cases. Even after I filed for divorce we kept it civil professionally." he argued. "We're a team. We're partners already, a united force that no power can rend asunder." He leaned in and kissed her temple, rubbing her back.

"I've always thought that phrase sounds like a character from an adult holo-novel." She deepened her voice. "Experience the latest sexploits of Rend Asunder in Anal Fist IV, Cosmic Buttfucker."

"You should give up on academia and write holo-novels." Trip grinned.

"You're the imaginative one. You should write the holo-novels, I'll come up with the advertisements." She sighed and chewed her lower lip. "I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a damp squib. I hate the thought of getting your hopes up."

"If I have to be in this chair for the rest of my life I'll do it happily. As long as I have you at my side I can cope with anything. But I'm not the only person in this position and this could help others in the same situation."

"I don't want anyone to have to go through what you did with regen therapy. I know for some people it works but… Maybe I'm not destined to create sentient life. Maybe I should use my skills to help people adjust to life changing injuries?"

"Maybe. You've certainly been a Godsend to me."

…

"Uh oh, looks like the time has come." Trip muttered when he saw her.

She was crouched in her underwear when he entered the cottage in his chair. Sweat gleaming on her jade skin. She emitted a growl as he closed the door and pounced on his lap, tearing at his shirt.

"Okay Sweetie, let's get you to the bedroom." he said and maneuvered his chair through the cottage as she snarled and licked at his face. "On the bed." he said patting it as if he was talking to the dog. "Go on. Good girl." he said as she crawled on to it. He attached a manacle to her wrist and she hissed at him. "Now, we agreed. No trying to meld this time." he warned and she reluctantly let him tether her other wrist. They had no idea how he would respond if she initiated a mating bond again and triggered pon farr in him. With his injury he may not be able to resolve it and it could prove fatal. That meant she had to be prevented from touching his face. He got out his tricorder and smiled at the reading. "Sweetness, you are so ripe for a baby I could wink at you and knock you up." he told her as she writhed and strained against the restraints, rolling onto her back and purring at him like a cat. "What? No jokes about me being cock-eyed?" he shook his head. "You are in a bad way aren't you Sweet-stuff?"

He moved over to the stasis unit, pulled out a vial and placed it on an instrument tray. "I hope you won't report me to the Federation Medical Association for this Sweets. I could get struck off for this." he said as he returned to the bed. It was unusual to artificially inseminate a patient while they were restrained, especially if you planned to have sex with them later but this was his wife and they had discussed it. They both wanted an intimate experience rather than a medical procedure, something private. "I know Sweet, it hurts doesn't it? I'll make it all better soon, I promise." he told her as she whimpered and he pushed the vial into a device similar to a hypospray but a different shape, not dissimilar to a turkey baster. "I've got some concentrated Barclay juice, just for you." He placed the syringe on the nightstand and lifted her hips, sliding a pillow under them and pulled off her panties. He pulled himself on top of her and to one side and kissed her, gently caressing between her legs with his hand as she whimpered into his mouth and strained against his touch, yearning for more. She gasped as he pushed his fingers inside her and moved her long hair away from her neck with his other hand to press a kiss to her throat before reaching for the hypospray. She bucked as he inserted it, her body aching with need as she pumped against it. He triggered it and held it in place. Kissing her face tenderly. "I'm sorry. I can't let you finish yet. We talked about that remember?" He withdrew the device and she snarled and hissed angrily. "Every eight hours for forty-eight hours to be certain and then I'll make love to you."

…

She collapsed on top of him, finally replete and sighed deeply.

"I don't know why you look so tired." he said with a smile and unfastened her restraints over his head. "I was on top for most of it. My arms are killing me."

"You weren't tied to the bed and horny for two days." she said breathlessly and rubbed his ribs. "How long till we know if it worked?"

"A few days." he replied and kissed her temple.

"You realise I'm going to use these on you at some point?" she grinned and rattled the restraints.

"Maybe after I get our implants." he smiled. "And while I'm on the topic..."

"Julian approved our project?" Taryn smiled.

"And the Hospital Board, and the Ethics Committee. We have lab time and resources at our disposal agreed for the next ten years. You got a letter from Daystrom too."

"What did it say?" she asked excitedly.

"I didn't open it, it was addressed to you." he smiled and passed her a padd from the nightstand.

She squealed. "I'm going to get my Doctorate!" She kissed him passionately and jumped out of bed. "I need to start work."

"What, now?" he asked incredulously as her naked green buttocks left the room at a run. "So much for the afterglow." he muttered. He shook his head and smiled. He was really proud of her. Not only had Dr Bashir offered her a job at the Rehabilitation Centre in London creating custom cybernetic limbs and implants for patients but she'd taken a different tack and submitted a new thesis proposal researching the feasibility of applying Soong-type positronics to bio prosthesis, a proposal that had just been approved. He was working at the facility too, dividing his time between seeing patients and research alongside his wife. The patients he was working with seemed buoyed that he'd found there was life beyond a devastating spinal injury. He found the work rewarding, not just that he was still able to practice medicine but he got the opportunity to help people adjust rather than preparing them for transfer as he had done many times while serving on a starship when there was no more he could do medically. He didn't have his own veterinary practice but he'd helped an old vet school pal set one up at the riding school and was consulting occasionally in his own time to keep his hand in.

Now all that was missing was their family.

…

"Good afternoon." Trip stated as he walked to the front of the lecture theatre with his arms folded, he was older greyer but otherwise seemed fit and well. "I am Commander Reginald Barclay and I am a doctor of xeno-veterinary medicine and also a medical doctor and I usually lecture at the Medical School." he rested his behind against the table at the front and placed one foot across the other. "Don't worry, I haven't been sent by Starfleet Medical for yet another briefing on the latest outbreak of VD. If you think you have Catian Crabs or the Andorian Clap I don't need or want to hear about it. You can obtain confidential advice from the Academy Medical Centre twenty-four hours a day. Ask for Dr Houghton, he's an expert in the field." Reg tried not to smirk. Despite the bickering and the one-upmanship, he and Heath were now good friends and often laughed about their fight in the stable. "Believe me you won't be the only, first or last Cadet to catch a dose from somewhere. If it was a deal-breaker Starfleet would be half the size." He cast his eyes around the room.

"I'm here to talk about addiction." He smirked as the students all groaned. He looked at his feet momentarily. "Once upon a time there was a tall, dashing and devastatingly handsome doctor with a high forehead who was newly assigned to a Starship. He had a patient who wasn't responding to conventional treatments. His hobby was holography so he created a photonic theoretical model to test less orthodox protocols. The patient in question was the Ship's Counsellor. She was, frankly gorgeous, exotic because she wasn't entirely Human and he had to admit he had a crush on her. But he was her doctor and that was a line he would never cross." He raised his finger to emphasize the point. "However, he had a perfect replica on the holodeck who was every bit as beautiful and he was forced to spend a lot of time with her while he sought alternative treatments and the ethical lines with her weren't as clearly defined because she was just a hologram. Oscar Wilde once said 'I can resist everything except temptation' and to him, she was exceptionally tempting. He found a successful course of treatment and his patient made a full recovery. But he kept going back to the holodeck to visit her alter ego. He gave her a personality that pleased him. She laughed at all his jokes, tolerated his bullshit and was loving and affectionate. She wasn't empathic like the real thing, but the computer was very clever at interpreting his body language and subtle cues and she was extremely responsive to his needs. In most ways she was his perfect woman. She never complained when he was late for dinner, she never disagreed with him. She became the object of his most exotic and erotic fantasies and in a very short time he was practically living on the holodeck, spending all his off duty hours there. Not long after that he was finding excuses to run simulations so he could sneak off and see her while he was on duty. Effectively he was having a love affair."

He stood up and began to pace slowly at the front of the room. "Then one fateful day the inevitable happened. He was found out. Not only were his colleagues complaining to their superior officer that they were carrying him, the Chief Engineer was looking for something else and noticed how many hours he was logging in the holodeck and investigated the programs he was running. He didn't report him initially. He gave him a chance to give her up but it wasn't that easy. He tried but he was in love with her, but more than that he was living in a world where his every desire was sated, his ego massaged and his imagination could run wild. It was as intoxicating and addictive to him as she was. He relapsed in less than a day. He just couldn't see that he had a problem. He wasn't hooked on narcotics, or alcohol. He was a doctor, he understood the nature of addiction and thought that made him immune. Addiction was something that happened to other, weaker mortals not spacefaring heroic doctors on the frontiers of both space and medical science." He rubbed his hands together as he paced, interlocking his fingers. "He was in love with a beautiful woman and living a wonderful adventurous life that was far beyond the mundane tribulations of the everyday. What was wrong with that? He was a consenting adult and she was a simulation, no one was taking advantage of anyone. The Chief Engineer could only turn a blind eye for so long and he ultimately reported him. He had to, it was his duty to both the ship and for the good of the doctor's patients but he didn't see it like that at the time. He felt angry and betrayed. Ironically it was the real Ship's Counsellor who grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, figuratively of course, and dragged him into the land of the real. He gradually made friends, good friends and he came to count the Chief Engineer, his Chief Medical Officer and the Counsellor among them, and got his career back on track. He was promoted a few years later and became Chief Medical Officer himself."

He paused for a moment. "Then another fateful day a new officer was assigned to the ship. She was, frankly gorgeous, exotic as she wasn't entirely Human as that seemed to be his thing and he had to admit he had a crush on her. But he was a doctor and he made damn sure that one of his junior doctors handled her transfer check-up so he could ask her out." He smiled at the memory. "However, she thought he was, and I quote," he held up a finger, "an 'arrogant wanker' and she told him so in the most colloquial of terms, including a few words in Orion that defied translation. The urge to run to the holodeck and recreate her was still there but he fought it and instead diverted his energy into winning the heart of his fair maiden. Eventually he won her over. He showed her that he had a soft, sensitive underbelly and the soul of a poet beneath the layers of bravado and she relented. She laughed at most of his jokes, didn't tolerate any of his bullshit for a second and was loving and affectionate. She wasn't empathic but she was very clever at interpreting his body language and subtle cues and she was extremely responsive to his needs. In every way she was his perfect woman. She chewed him out when he was late for dinner without letting her know, she frequently disagreed with him. She became the object of his most exotic and erotic fantasies and in a very short time I proposed to her." He smiled again. "And being a most discerning and intelligent woman she gave me a resounding no." The students laughed. "But I asked her again a couple of weeks later and she said yes that time. Her finding out married quarters have a lot more closet space may have been a factor, but I like to think it was love. She's sitting at the back of the room in fact. Living proof that behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." He looked at her and smiled. "Thanks to her I'm pacing in front of you right now and not in an anti-grav chair… but that's another, much longer story."

He perched on the desk again. "So what is the moral of this cautionary tale?" He drew a deep breath. "I promise you, I absolutely guarantee that in the course of your careers you will make mistakes, you will make errors in judgement and you will have to accept responsibility and move on because ultimately what will define you as an officer is how you land, not how you stumble or fall. If you are struggling with a problem, or someone you know is, it is your duty as a member of Starfleet to report it, to get them help both as a cadet or an officer. Not only for the good of your ship, you have a moral obligation to support your fellow crewmen. No matter where you are stationed it is your colleagues that will keep you alive out there as much as any technology will. You have to work as a team and know to your bones that you can trust the people around you as much as you would a brother or sister that loves you. There's no room for bullying, no room for ridicule and no room to turn a blind eye to someone in distress whether they want the help or not." He paused. "I was lucky, my addiction could easily have cost the lives of my patients but it didn't and the officers around me didn't write me off as a sick freak who screws holograms, although a few called me that, and worse, to my face. Mostly they supported me through what was a dark time and I hope that when you graduate and take up your posts you will support others just as they did because one day you may need someone to catch you."

The petite Green Woman approached him as the group filed out of the room. "Did you enjoy my lecture?" he asked. "It was hard to spot you in the crowd while you were trying to melt into the floor."

Taryn walked up and put her arm around their youngest child, her hair white at the temple but otherwise little had changed. "Trip, it's hard enough being a cadet without your Dad admitting to everyone in your class that he's a recovering holo-addict who had a torrid romance with a non-sentient hologram."

"I liked it actually." Cadet Edara Barclay stated. "It was an important message. You know what the competition is like here? Everyone stepping on each other's necks to get ahead and shine. People forget there is no I in team too easily." She smiled, "Besides, Barclay is a reasonably common name. I'll just tell people we aren't related."

"Thank you Baby. It makes your old Dad proud to know the fruit of his loins is disowning him publicly." Trip replied with a smirk as she turned away.

"No one wants to hear about your loins Dad." the cadet shouted over her shoulder as she left the lecture theatre.

"I want to hear about your loins." Taryn told him sympathetically as she rubbed his arm.

"To what do I owe the pleasure Professor Barclay?" he asked with a smile. "They don't usually let you out of Daystrom this early in the day."

"I heard there was a sexy man giving a lecture in here and I thought I'd come and see if he was free for lunch, but as you're here I might as well ask you I suppose." She smirked as he put his arm around her waist and pulled her into a kiss.

"Let's skip lunch and go to my office." he whispered.

"We could go home? We have the place all to ourselves now the kids have all moved out? she suggested as he kissed her neck.

"My office is closer." he replied and gazed meaningfully into her eyes.

"Good point, well made." she said and took his hand and lead him towards the door when his combadge beeped.

" _Houghton to Barclay. Yet again I have a queue of cadets trying to show me their balls or convinced their dicks are ridden with pox. Did you just give your addiction lecture? I'm an administrator these days, I've never been a specialist in venereal disease!_ "

"I don't know what you're talking about Houghton, Barclay out." He smirked at his wife as they left the room.

"Now do you understand how he became a holo-addict even though he's more confident in this timeline?" Andrews asked Geordi and Data as they lurked unseen at the back of the room. "I brought you here because he can explain it much better than I ever could."

"Does this mean we succeeded? He is teaching at the Academy and she is a Professor?" Data asked.

"No, it's not enough. The Federation falls to the Dominion in the next five decades." Andrews admitted. "They're teaching the wrong subjects. They make huge innovations in terms of medical science but not the technological leaps forward society would make if he was an engineer and she specialised in inorganic life."

"So what was the point of all this?" Geordi asked. "Not to mention we have a serial rapist on the loose on our Enterprise."

"Not every Joshua Barton ends up in foster care. In some timelines he was raised in a loving environment with his grandmother and never met Lisa Meadows. She's very much a factor in his potential psychosis. It's… have you heard of folie à deux?" Andrews asked.

"A shared delusion or psychosis between two individuals." Data stated.

"They feed off each other like symbiosis. She enables him and feeds his trauma like it's yeast. It blows out of all proportion and she feeds her own twisted drives with his victims when he's done with them." Andrews explains. "No foster care, no Lisa and he's a functional member of society."

"So what happens now?" Geordi asked.

"I thought it would be enough. I was wrong." Andrews replied dejectedly. "I don't think we can save the Federation."

"I do not accept that. Data stated. "If we can save the people killed in 19th century London and neutralise the ship in orbit we can save the Federation."

"That's just a huge undertaking, it would require a temporal incursion of a level we've never done before." Andrews stated.

"Let us handle it our way?" Geordi asked.

"No, I can't authorise that, the clean-up alone…" Andrews argued. "I'll send you to another location." he agreed reluctantly. "See if we can make a better future this time."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Where are we?" Geordi shouted as they appeared in the middle of a busy junction filled with carriages and horses.

"Picadilly Circus." Data replied and adjusted the settings on his phaser.

"It can't be. I've been there in our century. Where's the statue?" Geordi argued as he looked around. "Eros?"

"It is in fact a statue of Anteros, the god Eros' brother although colloquially that is how the statue is known. They will not erect the Shaftesbury Memorial Statue until next year." Data advised. "1892"

"I don't see them." Geordi frowned. "Is this the right place?" Data flipped open his tricorder, ignoring the alarmed looks they were drawing from passers by.

"This way." he shouted and dodged the traffic on the junction as he ran across it. Geordi hot on his heels.

"I really hope they aren't in the middle of a matinee." Geordi shouted as they ran into the Criterion Theatre. They headed down to the underground auditorium at a run and burst through the doors, pelting down the central aisle through the stalls. A handful of actors on the stage were rehearsing a play Data recognised as 'A School for Scandal' by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, a play Dr Crusher's theatre group had performed on the Enterprise. "Up there!" Geordi yelled and they both fired their phasers at a Jem'Hadar sniper in one of the private boxes. He fell and landed spread-eagled across the seats before he could fire his rifle. "Is that it?" Geordi asked, looking around as Data checked his tricorder.

"I am reading only Human biosignals in this vicinity." Data replied. "Apologies for the interruption. Please continue." Data smiled briefly at the actors and they walked back down the aisle. Andrews met them in the foyer and pressed a button on his wrist without a word.

"Here we go again." Geordi stated. They were back in the ready room. Geordi checked his collar. "Well I'm not an Admiral, but I haven't been demoted." he smirked.

"I am a Commander again." Data confirmed.

"Apologies gentlemen." Picard stated as he entered and took his seat. "This diplomatic mission is proving to be more complex than I anticipated. Counsellor Fraser is currently pouring oil on troubled waters. So, what do you think?"

Data and Geordi looked at each other. Could they have corrected the timeline?

"About what sir?" Data asked.

"Should I give Mrs Picard the sapphire earrings or the chrome diopsides for her birthday?" Picard asked indicating the two boxes on his desk. "The sapphires match her eyes but the diopsides…green really suits her, Beverly always looks stunning in green." he mused with a wry smile.

"I like them both." Geordi shrugged.

"Could you not, give her one pair and save the others for another occasion?" Data suggested. "The fact you are finding it difficult to choose may indicate both would be appropriate gifts."

"You know, you're right." Picard smiled. "Our anniversary isn't far off. Thank you, Number One."

" _Engineering to Commander LaForge_."

"Go ahead." Geordi stated.

" _We've had a power surge on Deck 8 again. Lieutenant Barclay has gone to take a look but I thought I should let you know as Holodeck 4's safeties are offline and the door is seized shut and there appears to be one of the delegates trapped inside."_

"I'm sure Barclay can handle it, but please keep me informed. La Forge out."

"That will be all gentlemen, I don't wish to keep you from your duties." Picard intoned.

The two officers stepped out onto the Bridge. "So much for correcting the timeline if we have a Barclay on board. The question is…which Barclay is it? Taryn or Reg?" Geordi asked his friend.

"We should examine the crew roster and the historical database." Data stated.

…

Barclay sighed as he yanked the panel off that was next to the door. He dropped to one knee, looked at the locking mechanism and tutted. This was the fifth time the power couple on this deck had blown that week and scrambled the protocols on the holodecks. At least this time it was just the one hologrid involved. He opened his toolkit when the door suddenly opened on its own.

"Oh, hello." it was a gentle contralto voice. "I hotwired the door, I hope you don't mind?"

He looked up and saw a jade skinned woman in a crop top and tight capri pants crouched in the arch, her raven hair tied back in a braid that emerged from high on her head. "That's quite alrigh…your nose is bleeding." he said with alarm and noticed her face was bruised. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine really. I was on the asymmetric bars. I was about to catch the upper bar when it de-rendered along with the crash mat and I hit the deck face first. The safeties must have gone offline." she said, pressing the back of her powdery hand to her nose and examining it. "By the way, there's a faulty cluster of emitters on this hologrid. It's probably what caused the power to fluctuate."

"You…know about…hologrids?" Reg looked at her with a stunned expression.

"I know a little about them, yes." She smiled warmly at him.

"We've been trying to diagnose the power problem on this deck for nearly a week." he mused. "How did I miss that? I…I…I should take you to Sickbay." he told her as she stood, picked up her chalky hand guards and joined him in the corridor. "You're from the Orion delegation?" he asked as he walked beside her holding his toolkit.

"Yes. How did you guess?" She gave him a cheeky smile.

He laughed nervously. "Asymmetric bars? You're a gymnast?"

"I used to be. When I was younger."

"You have an English accent?"

"I lived in England until I was thirteen. I'm half Human." she explained.

"I didn't think that was possible." he frowned.

"My grandfather is Vulcan, it made the genes work somehow."

"Oh, your…" he touched his ear.

"Ears yes. I'm afraid I don't know your name?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Barclay, Lieutenant Reginald Barclay." he replied awkwardly.

"Taryn." She smiled and offered her hand. He shook it nervously and for far longer than was really appropriate.

"Oh sorry." he muttered and released her hand. He rubbed the back of his head distractedly, unaware he was now covered in chalk there. "So where did you learn so much about holo technology?"

"I've always had a knack for fixing things. I wanted to be an Operations Officer on a Starship when I was young. I had a place at the Daystrom Institute and planned to join Starfleet after but when I started producing pheromones it was too complicated so my parents sent me to live with my grandmother on Barin Prime instead." she explained. "I got my degree via distance learning in the end and qualified as an engineer, but it's a hobby really."

"I went to Daystrom. I studied Computer Systems before I joined up." he told her as they entered the turbo lift. "Deck Seven. So, are you part of a Tahedri's household?"

"Yes. The Barins." she replied with a smile. "Will you be attending the concert this evening?" she asked.

"I…I wasn't planning to." he replied as the doors opened and they stepped into the corridor towards sick bay.

"My twin brother will be playing the cello. He's very good. Of course if you had other plans…"

"No…I…" he forced a smile. "I d…don't often go to social gatherings."

"I don't blame you. These diplomatic functions can be so stuffy, but I'm told it will be quite informal. I'll keep you company if you decide to go?" She stopped outside the doors to Sickbay. "Thank you for escorting me Lieutenant. It was nice to meet you."

"You're welcome. I hope you're okay." He smiled nervously and watched as she smiled shyly then turned and entered Sickbay. Reg sighed and wondered idly what position she held in the Tahedri's entourage. She looked lean and toned, she could be a dancer although the scuttlebutt was even the servants looked like goddesses in the Orion delegation. She was certainly remarkable and not at all what he expected a Green woman to be like, but then she was half Human.

…

"Okay, what did you find?" Geordi asked as he and Guinan sat in Data's quarters.

"Although initially the differences in this timeline appeared minimal there has been a devastating effect on this reality." Data explained. "We are at war with the Dominion, our losses have been substantial and our tactical position weak." He flicked his gaze between the two of them. "Bajor has still fallen into the hands of the Dominion along with Memory Alpha. Reginald Barclay refused the secondment to Jupiter Station, he said it would be wrong to leave the ship in a time of war. He did not transfer to the Communications Research Centre. Voyager is still lost and as contact was not made The Doctor was not transmitted to Jupiter Station from the Delta Quadrant and Dr Zimmerman died of a disease of unknown cause. As he is not working as a teacher the loss of the knowledge he would impart…"

"I get it Data." Geordi stated. "We need to restore the timeline as the Oracle said, at the root."

Data nodded. "Our current mission is diplomatic in nature. We are transporting delegates from societies not yet affected by the threat of the Dominion and a number of Federation member worlds to crisis talks on Earth in the hope of convincing them to offer their support. The largest group are the Orions who have sent representatives from the Eight Caju on this and a number of ships. There have been suspicions for some time that the Orion Syndicate has been in negotiation with the Dominion."

"But Orion has always been a neutral power?" Geordi stated.

"It is hoped that with the support of the un-syndicated Orions, the Ferengi and the Gorn we may be able to halt the spread of the Dominion, perhaps even drive them back." Data replied. "The smallest Orion delegation is ironically the most influential. The Tahedri of the Caj Barin is a noted orator and is expected to support the Federation's request for assistance. It is hoped that their presentation will encourage the other Caju to follow suit. Grand Nagus Rom is also known to have Federation sympathies and his wife is Bajoran but the Ferengi Consortium alone will not be sufficient to turn the tide."

"So it all comes down to Taryn's grandmother?" Geordi asked.

"Edara died from complications following Levodian flu fourteen years ago." Data stated.

"So who is the Tahedri?" Geordi asked. "Nareev? One of Taryn's uncles?"

"Taryn is the Tahedri. I was not the pilot who took her father to Mars the day I joined the Enterprise. No one suggested she use Vulcan techniques to control her pheromones and the presence of a pubescent Orion female studying at the Daystrom Institute was deemed to be untenable. She was sent to live on Barin Prime at the age of thirteen. She became Tahedri two years later." Data explained.

"At fifteen?" Geordi asked incredulously. "So how are you here if she never recovered your matrix?" Geordi asked.

"There was no Battle of Bassen Rift and I could find no reference to Shinzon in the historical database." Data tilted his head. "I can only assume with the Romulan Star Empire involved in a non-aggression pact with the Dominion he was unable to stage a coup and take over as Praetor and died on Remus from his progressive medical condition."

"I assumed in other timelines that your aging program wasn't reset. Are you saying it was your original body?" Geordi asked.

"I did not ascertain which body I was occupying." Data argued. "I am uncertain as to how we are occupying the bodies of our doubles in this timeline and it seemed redundant."

"So what do we do now?" Guinan asked.

"There is little we can do besides wait until we reach Earth where there may be a way to return to 1891. I suggest we let this timeline play out until then and say nothing about our reality for now." Data stated.

"Well, I have a bar to run so I'd better get back to it. You know where I am if you need me." Guinan said and left the room with a smile.

"Finally you idiots are getting it." Andrews stated, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. "Now do you see what's at stake? For God's sake stop improvising and just do as I tell you."

"You could have turned up and helped in the other timelines." Geordi argued. "I thought that was your job."

"I'm not here to hold your hand La Forge." the temporal agent told him.

"What are you here for?" Data asked.

"The powers that be want me to show you this." Andrews admitted and handed them a padd. Data's eyes widened and he handed it to Geordi.

"Interphasic torpedoes?" Geordi asked incredulously.

"A gift from the Jem'Hadar's mysterious benefactor." Andrews advised. "At the time of the incident at Waterloo Station that is what the Bastion was facing. It's possible the ramifications of that incursion could filter into present Jem'Hadar ships. You need to be prepared for the possibility."

"We need to destroy the Jem'Hadar ship in the past." Data realized. "Prevent them bringing their new technology to the present."

"Great, and how do we do that with them armed with interphasic torpedoes?" Geordi asked. "How can you defend against that?"

"We're working on that. History is sketchy on the subject. So far all we can come up with is Prior has the knowledge to solve it." Andrews stated. "And I'm not talking about the multiphasic resonance field thing she came up with on the Bastion, that's like fixing a disintegrating dam with chewing gum. Although it's noted that you two geniuses didn't come up with that or anything else."

"A field of that type between the hull and the shield would stop the torpedoes passing through the hull, but the damage would still be significant. But which Prior?" Geordi asked angrily. "Which timeline?"

Andrews shrugged. "All I can suggest is you ask any Prior you come across about it."

"Great," Geordi snapped. "Good evening Tahedri, would you mind looking at this data and coming up with a solution in between writing your speech to save what's left of the Federation and running your planet. While you're at it you could shove this broom up your ass and sweep the damn floor."

"There's no need to take that attitude, you prick." he snapped.

"You know, fuck you Andrews. You show up when you feel like it, drop your cryptic clues and vanish like a turd down the head. Daniels actually helped Captain Archer you know?" Geordi shouted.

"Yeah, well newsflash asshole, Archer you ain't." Andrews argued.

"Gentlemen…" Data began.

"Fuck you brethren, I'm out of here. I don't have to take this shit." Andrews stated and disappeared.

"Geordi…" Data began sympathetically.

"Say one thing about a clash of personalities and I'll experimentally refit your nuts with a plasma torch." Geordi snapped. "We don't need that sack of shit."

"Geordi…"

"Okay, I'm sorry, but that guy crawls right up my ass." Geordi defended.

…

"Hello again." Taryn smiled.

"Oh hello." Reg replied as he looked up. She was dressed for riding today, the jodhpurs and knee boots made him blush and that was before he got to her top. "I'm nearly done if you wanted to use the holodeck." He picked up another tool and adjusted it.

"Here, let me." she said holding out her hand. "This is a two-man job."

She was right, exchanging an emitter cluster was a pain on your own. He handed her the device and she placed it in exactly the right place to calibrate the new diode.

"You were right by the way." he told her as he adjusted another part of the cluster.

"We do have holo technology." she replied. "Admittedly most of it's stolen…" she smirked. "You won't get in trouble for letting me help will you?"

"I won't say anything if you don't." He smiled and they swapped tools and carried on working. "How was the concert?"

"I missed you there." she said. "I ended up sat between the Grand Nagus' brother and the Zakdorn envoy, one was trying to grope my leg and the other kept tutting. The music was good though, Commander Data is very talented."

"You…you wanted me to…" he looked at her wide-eyed. "You wanted me to go… with you?" he asked incredulously.

"It doesn't matter," she smiled warmly and handed him back the instrument in her hand as they were finished. "I'll be more direct the next time I ask you out."

"Why?" he asked looking horrified. "Why me?"

"You seem nice." she replied simply.

"But…I'm just an engineer."

"So?" she asked.

"But I'm nobody." he protested. "You're…well you're green."

Her lower lip quivered and her expression looked hurt. "Really? I never noticed. Everyone is somebody Mr Barclay, even you. You may be surprised to learn that even though I'm green and have the ears of a Vulcan I do have feelings." she replied angrily. "I'm sorry if I offended you. That wasn't my intention." She turned on her heel and stormed towards the door.

"I thought you wanted to run a program?"

"Shove your program up your arse!" she yelled over her shoulder.

…

"Reg, you've been distracted all day. Are you okay?" Geordi asked him.

"It's…it's nothing." Reg said and returned his stare to the screen and sighed heavily.

"Those readings aren't going to change if you just keep staring at them." Geordi stated.

"Sorry sir." Reg said and changed the parameters.

"How long have we worked together Mr Barclay?" Geordi asked.

"Well," Reg frowned, "fifteen years." He looked surprised at how long it had been.

"Fifteen years. And at any point in those fifteen years did you find that you couldn't come to me with a problem?" Geordi asked.

"No sir, but…it isn't about work. I'm sorry I've let it interfere with my duties, it won't happen again."

"Yes it will, because you're Human and you're a complex little Musketeer so tell Uncle Geordi all about it?"

"I met a girl." he blurted. "She asked me out and I didn't realise because… I'm an idiot. I offended her and now she's angry."

"And you like her?"

"She's lovely…and clever… and too young for me anyway." Reg shook his head and continued working at the console.

Geordi had the distinct feeling of déjà vu. "Who is she?"

"She's…she's from Barin Prime." Reg replied.

"She's part of the delegation?"

Reg nodded. "She said she was in the Tahedri's household, her name's Taryn."

Geordi felt relieved, at least it was the right girl, for an awful moment he thought Reg was talking about Barsha or some other girl. He was surprised at the course of events though. Not that they had met and were attracted to one another, some things were obviously meant to be. But this Reg didn't recognise her from the painting again and clearly didn't know she was the Tahedri. "And you offended her?"

"Yes, I…I couldn't understand why she'd be interested, with her being green and all and I said so. She'd already told me she wanted to study at Daystrom and join Starfleet but couldn't because her pheromones got in the way and…either I reopened that wound or maybe she thought I was being racist. She said… 'You can stick your program up your arse!' and stormed off the holodeck." Reg put on an English accent to quote her and Geordi laughed at his impression of her. "It's not funny. I hurt her feelings."

"So go and apologize." Geordi stated.

"It's not that simple." Reg argued.

"Isn't it?" Geordi asked. "It sounds as if she likes you if she got that pissed off about it."

…

Reg rubbed the back of his head. All he had to do is press the bell and ask to speak to her. Press the bell and ask to speak to her. He pressed the bell and braced himself. A two metre tall Orion male with dreadlocks opened the door. He was wearing a vest that resembled a net and tight leather trousers that were laced up the sides.

"Yes?" Nareev said coldly.

"M…may I speak with Taryn please?" Reg asked. He was out of uniform and dressed casually. A plain white cotton shirt and slacks.

He scowled and paused for a moment. "You'd better come in." the man replied.

A Vulcan male with similar features to Taryn nodded to him as he sat playing a guitar in the corner and a tall grey skinned female with cybernetic ocular implants dressed in a tight black leather cat suit lounged on a couch, she was reading and eating a fruit that seemed similar to an apple. He heard a growl and a large wolf padded towards him.

"Laika!" the grey woman said sternly and the wolf turned and looked at her. "She's the Tahedri's pet." she explained. "Don't growl at the Human. Be nice." she instructed.

"Yes?" Taryn said, emerging from a side room with the tall green male who flopped onto another couch. She was wearing a robe of some sort, like a diaphanous kaftan that fell to her knees. It was pretty and she wore a tight black body stocking beneath it and thigh boots. "You wanted to speak to me?" She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him coldly. She was clearly still angry with him.

He swallowed hard. "I…I wanted to apologize and I…well… I was thinking…I know you seem to use the holodeck around this time of day and…well…would you like to go riding?" he asked nervously. "With me I mean…on the holodeck…together." he added.

"I'd love to," she smiled. "Give me a moment to change. Please have a seat." She shot back into her room excitedly.

He sat uneasily and Laika rested her head on his knee.

" _She likes you._ " a voice echoed in his head. It made him jump.

"What?" Reg exclaimed.

" _I'm over here and you don't need to speak out loud. In fact, it's better if you don't. No offence but your thoughts are clearer than your words._ " Reg turned and looked at the man playing the guitar. " _I said she likes you._ " Reg rubbed the head of the huge she-wolf and smiled at her. " _I meant my sister not Laika, you pillock._ " The musician laughed silently at Reg's amazement. _"You haven't a clue have you?_ "

"Turn back your cuffs and open your collar another button." The grey woman stated as she looked at him appraisingly. "She likes that." she advised him and exchanged looks with Taryn's brother. Reg gave her a questioning look and she nodded sincerely so he did as she suggested.

"Sorry to keep you." Taryn smiled as she emerged in her riding gear. Reg stood and they headed for the holodeck. She arched a brow as she noticed his dress seemed more relaxed and her smile deepened.

"How long have you been riding?" she asked as they cantered through a woodland scene. He was riding a palomino Quarter Horse and she chose a white Andalusian.

"Since I was a kid. My parents were… antagonistic so my Dad took me riding because my mother hated it. My mother seemed to hate everything he loved." " _Me included._ " he added silently.

"I don't get to ride as often as I'd like. I don't usually have the time." She patted her horse's neck and smiled at the response. "This program is very nuanced. You could believe these horses were real."

"Thank you, I spent a lot of time on them. This simulation is part of a Three Musketeer's program I wrote but I gave d'Artagnan and company the morning off."

She smiled. "It's very good. The riding program at the palace on Barin Prime is rubbish, but there are real horses at the Hunting Lodge, Friesians. My Human grandmother is a riding instructor on Earth. I've always been around horses." She looked up as there was a clap of thunder in the distance and her horse skittered.

"I'm going to kill Ensign Ashby." Reg intoned.

"Who?"

"He…well…he thinks it's funny to mess with my programs. Especially the weather." It started to rain heavily and a bolt of lightning hit a nearby tree. Reg's simulated horse protested. He'd written the code for them to respond to stimulus in the same way as a real horse. Taryn's horse reared and bolted, panicking at the storm. "End program." he ordered and nothing happened. "Computer end program." He swore and kicked his horse to follow her. The Andalusian bucked and she clung on, clearly an experienced rider but it ran for low arch in a hedge and she was knocked from the saddle. Her foot caught in the stirrup and she was dragged bouncing along the ground, her shoulders taking the brunt of the punishment. He ducked under the arch in the hedge, keeping his distance as should she come loose he'd be on top of her in seconds. For her to be dragged like this his idiot colleague had messed up the safety protocols when he hacked the program.

Her foot came free and she lay like a ragdoll on the path in front of him. He dismounted, the rain still beating down and ran to her.

"Don't be dead, please don't be dead." he whispered as he tapped his communicator. "Medical emergency Holodeck 1." He knelt at her side. "Don't move." he said as she tried to get up. He took hold of her head and neck to immobilise it.

"I'm fine." she argued.

"You can't be fine after that." he told her. "Just hold still. Did you get kicked or trod on?"

She grasped his wrists. "It's okay, I'm okay." she assured him. "I'm a bit bruised and scraped and I think I twisted my ankle but nothing's broken. Let me sit up or I'm going to drown." She smiled at him reassuringly.

She had a point, the ground was awash, there was a flash flood. He gently let her sit, still holding her face in his hands. "Computer end program." he gazed into her eyes, "Computer arch." When nothing happened he winced. "Barclay to Commander LaForge." She grabbed the front of his now transparent shirt and kissed him, her lips felt soft and wet against his, soaked from the rain. He took her in his arms as he kissed her back, his pulse ringing in his ears, his heart beating fast in his chest as lightning lit up the dark sky above them, ignoring Geordi's response to his call.

"Ahem." Beverly arched a brow at them. Reg pulled away from her both guiltily and reluctantly.

"Doctor, she was thrown from a horse and dragged with her foot in the stirrup. It was at least twenty metres or more." Reg told her and wiped his face, it was still raining.

"I see, remind me to book you in for a refresher course in CPR. That isn't how you give mouth to mouth Lieutenant." She smirked as she scanned her. "Are you injured Reg?"

"No, but Ashby will be when I catch him. He must have destabilized the program." He stood and went to the arch that activated when the doctor opened the door. He yanked off a panel and pulled out a chip, recoiling as it was hot and the simulation ended. They were all still drenched to the skin with replicated water however. "Is she okay?" he asked as he examined a readout of the program.

"She'll be fine." Beverly smiled at him, her hair wet and plastered to her face. He nodded and stalked away, leaving a trail of water behind him.

"It seems my Mr Darcy has better things to do." Taryn said, chewing her lip.

"I always saw him as more of a Colonel Brandon than a Mr Darcy, Tahedri, despite the shirt." the doctor stated and helped her to her feet. "Forgive me for saying this but please don't take advantage of him? He's not the sort of man you can treat as a plaything."

"I know, that's why I like him. I assure you my interest is genuine Doctor." She smiled shyly and hobbled towards the exit with the doctor's support.

 _Author's note._

 _In case it isn't obvious, Mr Darcy and Col Brandon are from Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility respectively by Jane Austin. I don't own them._


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Dan Ashby laughed as Reg walked into Main Engineering dripping wet but stopped when he dragged him from his seat and shoved him against a bulkhead. "Come on Reg it was a joke. So you got a little wet."

"A little wet? Do you have any idea how a horse behaves in a lightning storm? My program depended on the safety protocols when a horse bolts or throws someone and you corrupted the damn failsafes."

"Well you look fine to me." Ashby argued as Geordi appeared. "No harm done."

"I wasn't alone. One of the Orion girls was riding with me and she got dragged around the holodeck by her terrified horse."

"You mean you had a date?" Ashby looked alarmed. "Oh God I'm sorry Reg, I never thought. Is she okay?"

"No thanks to you, you jerk. Stay the hell away from me!" Reg ordered and stalked away.

"He's really mad. Must be her pheromones." Dan said pulling his uniform straight.

"Mr Ashby, we need to have a little chat about your practical jokes." Geordi intoned.

…

"Just a minute." Reg shouted at the door chime as he fastened his turtleneck jersey and tucked it into his pants. He'd just got out of the shower and he grabbed his jacket as he headed towards the door. "Oh." he smiled, "I was just on my way to find you. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Taryn replied, she had also changed her clothing and was wearing the kaftan she was wearing earlier with her hair loose but twisted over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I just left you there, I was angry…come in please. Can I get you anything?" he asked nervously, wringing his jacket in his hands.

"No thank you." she whispered as she looked around his quarters.

"I understand that you're angry. I shouldn't have just walked away…"

"I'm not angry. It's been suggested to me that I may be taking advantage. I'm out of practice at interacting with Humans and I may be influencing you in ways I'm not aware of." she explained.

"I…I think if you were influencing me I wouldn't have stood you up at that concert. I'd certainly have found it harder to walk away after you kissed me." he reasoned. "Not that it wasn't like amputating a limb. Please, make yourself comfortable, are you sure I can't get you some tea… or coffee?"

She sat on the couch with her hands on her knees primly. "I've been acting improperly. I've been exercising freedoms on this ship that are beyond my reach on Barin Prime and will be again when the negotiations start on Earth."

"Wait, are you a slave?" he asked earnestly, sitting beside her.

"No, I'm not a slave. We have no slaves on Barin Prime but…" she began and took a deep breath. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "There are things I have to tell you…"

"Tell me later." he whispered as he took her in his arms and kissed her as though his life depended on it.

…

"Marry me?" he whispered as they lay together in his bed. His fingers entwined with hers. "You could live here with me? I could ask for bigger quarters, and a bigger bed." he added and they giggled and rubbed noses. He only had a single bed, he was never optimistic enough to requisition a double.

She sighed. "I wish I could but it's not that simple."

"It could be that simple." he argued. "We're lovers now, we could be really happy together." He kissed her palm and wrist tenderly.

"I have duties, obligations…"

"I'm sure the Tahedri has other girls in his household that could do your work. Not that you aren't special…very special…" he leaned in to kiss her but she stopped him with her hand on his chest.

"Reg, I need you to listen. I want you to know that if things were different I would be so happy to be your wife but…" she caressed his chest, toying with his hair.

"Then let's get married. I've never felt this way before and…" His face fell. "You're already married aren't you? Or spoken for?"

"No, no of course I'm not. I'd never mislead you like that but…" The ship rocked suddenly and the red alert siren sounded.

" _Battle stations. All hands to battle stations."_

"Hold that thought." Reg stated as he jumped out of bed, grabbed his underwear and uniform and pulled it on rapidly while she began to dress hastily. "Do you know where you're supposed to go?"

"Back to guest quarters." she told him as she pulled on her thigh length boots.

He nodded. "I'll come and find you when this is over and we'll talk properly." he kissed her hurriedly, cupping the back of her neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." she whispered as he grabbed his jacket and her hand and they headed for the corridor. They parted company at the first intersection, she reluctantly released his hand when he flashed her a shy smile before he turned and ran towards the best turbolift to reach Main Engineering.

She ran towards another turbolift as guest quarters were two decks above and she saw a woman running towards her clutching the hand of a small child. As she reached them the ship rocked again and a conduit blew. Taryn was blasted against a bulkhead and fell to the floor.

…

Engineering was chaos when Reg arrived. "Barclay! I need you to get the fire suppression system back online. We have conduits blown all over the ship." Geordi shouted over the fray.

"Aye sir." Reg responded and ran to the terminal and began to work. "The main interlink to the computer core is severed. I need to bypass it sir."

"Where's the break?" Geordi asked in between barking other orders.

"Junction 24." Reg replied.

"Ashby's already there. Call him."

He touched his communicator. "Barclay to Ensign Ashby." He waited. "Ensign Ashby please respond." Geordi looked over and Reg shook his head.

"Go check it out Reg." Geordi told him.

Snatching a toolkit from the floor Reg grabbed a stanchion as he rounded it at a run and shot into a small room off Main Engineering. He climbed a ladder and dove headlong into the Jeffries tube, scrambling down it towards the first intersection.

…

Taryn coughed, acrid smoke filled the corridor and nearby a young child was screaming for its mother. Through the dim light she could see her arm was burned and from the pain she felt so was one side of her face, she could smell the singeing of her hair. She felt along the floor and crawled towards the sound of the child, a boy she recalled from seeing him before the explosion, no more than three or four. She felt a small hand and gripped it.

"I've got you, it's going to be alright." she told him, hoping it wasn't a lie. She could feel the heat and see the flickering flames and wondered why they were still alive. Force fields should have contained the fire and removed the oxygen to suppress it by now.

"Mommy, Mommy wake up!" the boy wailed and sobbed inconsolably. Taryn strained to see through the smoke and realised the boy was clutching the mother's sweater. She felt for a pulse and found none, the woman's neck was twisted at an awkward angle, probably broken when she hit the bulkhead as Taryn did. She grabbed the screaming child, tore his hand from his dead mother and crawled, keeping low to avoid the worst of the smoke and scrambled, trying to get way from the smoke and flames.

…

Reg opened the hatch in the Jeffries tube and swore. He tapped his communicator. "Barclay to Commander La Forge." he stated as he felt Ashby's inert form for a pulse. The man was covered in burns and shrapnel wounds, he was lucky not to be ripped to pieces given the state of the crawlspace he'd been working in. "The whole subsection is blown sir. Ashby's down but he's alive. There's nothing here to repair."

" _Get your butts out of there on the double Barclay_." Geordi ordered. " _We're losing containment. We're about to abandon the Drive Section._ "

"Aye sir." Reg replied and dragged the blond Ensign back to the intersection which crossed a larger corridor.

"You should leave me, save yourself." Dan murmured.

"Shut up. I'm saving your sorry ass whether you like it or not." Reg replied and grunted as he put him over his shoulders in a fireman's lift and went in search of a way to the Saucer Section.

…

The section of corridor ahead was open to space and contained by a force field, the quarters adjoining it gone so she doubled back, still buffeted by the impact of the attack from ships she recognised all too well from what she saw through the gaping hole in the hull. She was worried for the boy in her arms, not just the loss he had experienced although his expression was one of stunned horror. His breathing was becoming laboured and in the light she could see his mouth and nose were stained with soot. He'd inhaled smoke and he needed urgent medical attention in addition to minor burns that must be causing him pain.

"What's your name?" she asked him brightly, belying her concern. "Sweetie, what's your name?" she repeated, turning his face to her to make eye contact.

"Michael." he replied softly.

"My name's Taryn and we're going to find a way down to deck seven to see Dr Crusher. Do you like Dr Crusher?" she asked and the boy nodded. "I do too." She stopped and thought for a moment, desperately trying to recall a schematic of the ship she had looked at briefly some days ago, cursing the fact she didn't get her brother Cadfael's eidetic memory. The turbolifts didn't seem to be running and she couldn't carry a child and climb down a shaft and she doubted he was well enough to cling to her back, besides if one did come along it would be game over. Every door she'd tried on this deck was sealed, the residents probably at their stations although she suspected the quarters on the outside of the Saucer may be voided into space, emergency bulkheads had engaged all around them and she was running out of options. If she was right she was around the corner from a Jeffries tube. It probably joined an intersection with a ladder to higher and lower decks and she may be able to hotwire a hatch to get through.

She put the boy down and pulled open a panel, grabbed some thick coated cabling and yanked it out. Then she crouched, asked Michael to ride piggyback then threw the cable over her shoulder and wrapped it around them both several times, fixing him to her like a papoose. Then she rounded the corner, opened the Jeffries tube and climbed in.

" _Five minutes to Saucer separation_." came the Computer's impassive voice.

"You'd better be shifting your hairy behind out of the Drive Section Mr Barclay." Taryn muttered.

"Who's Mr Barclay?" Michael asked.

"The man I'm going to abdicate to marry." she told him as she crawled along.

"What does ablidate mean?" he asked.

"Abdicate means to give up being a Queen." she explained.

"You're a Queen?" the tiny boy asked.

"U-huh." she replied. "Well, sort of anyway."

"You look like a Princess, not a Queen." he told her. She laughed and it echoed through the intersection.

"Hold on tight Michael." she told him as she grasped the ladder, although she knew he was tied to her securely. "We're going climbing."

…

"I'm slowing you down Barclay, you won't get out." Dan told him.

"I thought I told you to shut up." Reg chided the injured officer he was carrying. "Don't be such a martyr Dan."

"I never thought anyone would get hurt or it would embarrass you with your girlfriend." Dan muttered. "I'm really sorry Reg."

"Luckily for you she thought I had that Mr Darcy in the lake look and it turned out okay. I even proposed to her."

"What did she say?"

"When I find out I'll let you know." Barclay said as he took hold of the ladder and began to climb it.

" _Thirty seconds to Saucer separation."_

"Can I be your best man?" Dan asked.

"You can be the flower girl." Reg told him as he struggled to climb the ladder to get to the other side of the bulkhead before it closed.

…

"Missing?" Dr Crusher stated. "Well she isn't here."

" _Nareev, her Rhadaman Anthos is most concerned that she did not return to their guest quarters during the alert and internal sensors are offline._ " Data reported.

The auburn haired doctor ducked into a corner. "You didn't hear this from me but she may be in Barclay's quarters." she said quietly.

" _I hope not. That section has multiple hull breaches._ " Data replied. " _We have engaged emergency bulkheads_."

"I'll let you know if she turns up. Crusher out." Dr Crusher said as Geordi entered, helping a wounded crewman with severe injuries.

"Bring him over here." she ordered and helped Geordi put him on a biobed. "Did everyone get out of the Drive Section?"

"I hope so, but I've got two engineers unaccounted for."

A panel was kicked open in the corner and Taryn crawled out of the conduit with a small boy clinging to her. "Which two engineers?" Taryn asked, her eyes wide.

"Crusher to Commander Data."

" _Data here._ "

"We have your missing Tahedri, she's injured but she got herself to Sickbay." Dr Crusher reported.

"Which two engineers are missing?" Taryn asked desperately as Nurse Ogawa took the boy and Dr Selar steered her to a biobed.

"Barclay and Ashby." Geordi replied softly.

"No," she whispered and dropped to her knees, a stunned expression on her face that was burned and bloody. Selar helped her to her feet, all but carrying her to the biobed.

"Michael!" an officer shouted as he entered sickbay and ran to his son embracing him. "I thought I'd lost you." he looked carefully at his son's injuries. "Where's your Mommy?" he asked desperately.

Taryn blanched even paler and shook her head in response to Dr Crusher's enquiring look. "An EPS conduit blew, the three of us were caught in the blast…her neck was…she must have died instantly." Taryn sniffed. She patted Taryn's shoulder as she passed to break the bad news.

"I need a hand here?" Reg said as he carried Dan into sickbay.

Taryn ran to him, nearly knocking him off his feet and barely allowing time for him to offload Dan. "Oh God, you're bleeding…" she stated as she noticed his clothes were soaked in blood.

"No, it's not mine it's…" His eyes widened in horror. "What happened?" he asked as he took in her injuries. He held her gently as she sobbed against his shoulder.

"I thought you were in the Drive Section when it blew." she cried.

"No, I had to get out." he whispered into her hair. "I knew you were waiting for me." he looked at Dr Selar. "You need to get these burns treated. Come on." He told her and helped her back to the biobed.

"I don't believe your face will scar Tahedri." Selar stated as she began to treat her injuries. "I can't say the same for your other burns."

"I don't care about that. Is the little boy alright?" she replied.

"What?" Reg snapped. "Did she just call you Tahedri?

"That's what I was trying to tell you earlier." Taryn whispered guiltily.

"You're the Tahedri?" he asked incredulously and she nodded. "How can you be a patriarch? You're a…a…" He blanched and turned away. "I get it now." he replied with a coldness that barely covered his pain. "I was another diversion just like the holodeck. Another freedom beyond your reach on Barin Prime." he knocked her hand from his sleeve as he turned and walked away.

"No, it's not like that…" she called after him but he just kept walking.

…

Geordi sat beside Reg as he sat against the bulkhead, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. His uniform still filthy and caked in drying blood just like Geordi's and most of his team.

"Ashby's gonna be fine." Geordi told him.

"That's something at least." Reg murmured.

"You know, she was lucky to get out of that section alive? There was a failed hatch in the Jeffries tube she crawled through with that kid. She even fixed it once she was on the other side, we could have lost another section if it wasn't for her and Moran would have lost his son as well as his wife."

"You don't have to tell me how great she is." Barclay swallowed. "She would have been safe in guest quarters if she hadn't been with me and wouldn't have scraped half the skin off her back on the holodeck or got all burned."

"She's okay, her shoulder and arm is scarred but she's more worried that she hurt you…"

"I hurt myself, I always do." Reg said sadly. "I always fall for the wrong girls. Counsellors, holograms, patriarchs…"

"…Dabo Girls." Geordi added without thinking. In this timeline Reg couldn't have met Leosa.

"Dabo Girls?" Reg frowned. "I've never… Someone told me a lot of them are…professional ladies for hire." He blushed involuntarily. "And some of them are involved in Ferengi confidence tricks."

"Yeah, I heard that too. Some even pass themselves off as teachers to unsuspecting idiots." Geordi added wryly.

"What was that quote? There's a sucker born every minute." Reg smiled. "You must be thinking of Ashby. He's the one who chases women on shore leave." Reg looked at his hands.

"Yeah, I must be thinking of someone else." Geordi smiled. "I'm not sure it's Dan 'Have dick will travel' Ashby though. The Grand Nagus wife was a Dabo Girl apparently, although she was one who worked the table not the clientele. His brother Quark rented out holosuites, not his staff." Geordi rubbed the back of his neck. "But getting back to the point… If you'd gone to that concert with her you'd have known, and she said she tried to tell you." Geordi argued.

"She did, she really tried." he admitted and laughed mirthlessly, "I was even told the Tahedri's pet wolf was called Laika and I never realised. Laika, the first animal sent into Earth's orbit. It's obvious the more I think about it, only she would call a dog Laika." he sighed, "We lost the Drive Section, the contents of my quarters are floating in space and I lost the girl. Can today get any worse?"

"Reg, don't tempt fate. Besides, you loved her when you thought she was a…I don't know what you thought she was but she's the same person. She didn't really lie. She is part of the household, just the head of it."

"It's not that, I'll love her till the day I die. I'd resign right now to be with her but…other Orions would see me as her Human pet and my presence would diminish her. You know how important she is. We need her to swing the balance of the war. How can I ask her to walk away to shack up with Starfleet's oldest lieutenant?" Reg stated. "We're from different worlds. It could never work between us." He sighed. "What do you need me to do sir?" he asked. "I'd rather work than sit around moping."

"We need to get internal sensors online to find trapped survivors." Geordi stated.

"I'll get on it Commander." he said and stood up.

…

He didn't notice her until she was right behind him. "I've been assigned to assist you." she told him and he jumped and hit his head on the console he was under.

"You…you…you're a passenger, you should go back to your quarters Tahedri, where it's safe." He told her as he rubbed his scalp and checked his hand for blood.

"I'm Tahedri now am I?" she noted. "You didn't call me that in bed." she quirked her lip.

"I didn't know who you were," he replied, "and this is a restricted area."

"The operative word was assigned. Most of the diplomats on board have offered to help and incidentally Commander La Forge didn't tell me you were the officer working here."

Reg might have known Geordi would try to play matchmaker and throw them together. Why couldn't he have sent the Grand Nagus to help him? Word had it he was a great engineer before his elevation to Ferengi Doge.

Reg looked up at her pretty face and sighed. "Well, there's nothing to be done, all the sub-processors are burned out. I hoped it would be the control unit but…" he looked sad and frustrated. "External sensors are working but they're fused. We can't even redirect them to the interior of the ship." he added and threw his interphasic coil spanner across the floor angrily.

Taryn crouched beside him. "Reg," she said softly and touched his sleeve. "No one expects you to work miracles."

"People are missing, they could be trapped and we can't help them if we can't find them." he blurted.

"There are other ways to locate people." Taryn intoned.

…

"Considering we have precious little to lose please proceed Tahedri." Picard intoned. "Mr Barclay will assist you."

"Sir?" Barclay said with alarm. "Surely one of the other officers would be better…a security officer or…or…"

"Mr Barclay, they may come across fused doors and unsafe conduits, while I don't doubt Miss Barsha and the Tahedri's capabilities they have limited experience of our systems. They need an engineer and you're Johnny on the spot. Besides, you already have plenty of muscle power." he nodded towards Nareev.

"Johnny on the spot…I see sir." Barclay clenched his jaw and looked dejected.

" _This way._ " Emlyn's presence echoed in their minds as he touched a wall. " _Behind this wall._ "

Reg pulled off a panel and crouched. He removed some components rapidly and peered into a conduit. "I don't see how we can fit through here." he stated and looked up at the Captain. He checked his tricorder. "There's a breathable atmosphere but I'm not reading any life signs."

" _They are there, they are alive_." Emlyn assured them. " _They are a fair distance away. Possibly beyond the range of your tricorder Lieutenant_."

"I'd fit." Taryn stated, kneeling beside Barclay. She was wearing a Starfleet overall with the sleeves and legs rolled up as they were huge on her, her hair held back in a messy curled pony tail. Extremely large and extremely small overalls were replicated on demand and that system was also down.

"No," Reg blurted, "it could be dangerous."

"Don't be absurd." she snapped and pushed him aside. She wriggled into the tiny space and vanished.

"Is she okay?" Reg asked Emlyn after ten minutes had elapsed, all of which he spent pacing nervously, fidgeting with his hands. He checked his tricorder again, there was no sign of her coming back into range and he tutted.

" _I don't know. I can't read my sister's thoughts._ "

"You can't?" he asked with alarm. "What do you mean you can't? She's your twin?"

" _I can't hear or speak. She can't be contacted via remote telepathy._ "

"So how do you communicate?"

 _"_ _With great difficulty."_ Emlyn scowled. " _We use sign language._ "

Reg sighed despairingly. He'd belatedly realised he should have given her his combadge. The captain was still waiting with them if she ran into difficulties and needed to call for assistance. "So how do we contact her?" Reg asked desperately.

"We don't." Barsha replied.

"Look." Picard stated as Laika's ears pricked. The wolf shot into the gap, following her mistress. A few moments later the wolf emerged leading a small girl that Reg pulled out and handed to Picard, followed by a slightly older boy and an injured teenage girl with Taryn bringing up the rear half carrying her.

"Well, it appears your idea is a good one Tahedri, please proceed. I shall ask Dr Crusher to assign you a medic. If you need any further help just ask. Good luck all of you." he turned and strode away.

"You're bleeding." Reg said gently taking her arm and pressing a handkerchief to it.

"It's a scratch. It's nothing." Taryn said and pulled her arm away. "What do you care? You only gave a toss when you thought I was a slave, someone to rescue from servitude and bring to live on your Starship and be a submissive little wife."

"That isn't true." he protested.

"The hell it isn't. Why don't you walk away again? It's what you always do after all." She turned and followed her twin as he wandered down the corridor, his head bowed in concentration.

…

"Alyssa?" Taryn called from the far side of the bulkhead. "I think he's in shock." she told her. "His breathing isn't good."

"I'm coming over." The nurse stated. Reg gave her a leg up and she placed her knee on his shoulder to scramble through a small gap where the ceiling had given way as Taryn had moments earlier. Nareev continued trying to force open the emergency bulkhead with a makeshift lever while Reg re-joined Barsha who was trying to rewire the control panel. Laika sat obediently watching them work and staying out of the way until she was called as was Emlyn.

Dr Crusher arrived on the scene accompanied by Data. "What's his status?" she asked.

"May I?" Data said to Nareev who stepped aside. He grasped the door and slid it open easily. Taryn was kneeling at the man's head, holding it immobile while Alyssa rendered treatment.

"He has an unstable T4 spinal fracture. His spleen is ruptured and his diaphragm. His bowel is entering his thoracic cavity, we need to get him in stasis doctor." Alyssa reported.

"Medical Emergency, transport required." Dr Crusher requested, as she pressed a hypospray to the man's neck between Taryn's fingers.

" _Sorry doctor, there's too much radiation in that compartment to get a transporter lock_." came the response.

"Do you have a spinal board and a collar?" Taryn asked. "The way they did it before transporters?"

"We'd have to replicate them and replicators are still offline." Dr Crusher.

"We need to improvise." Data stated and began looking for something suitable in the wreckage.

"Do you need anything more for the pain?" Dr Crusher asked the injured man.

"No." he gasped. "Are you a real Green Woman?" he asked Taryn.

"I think I qualify." she smiled.

"His adrenalin is elevated, even taking into account his injuries. It's you. Your presence is helping reduce his pain." she realised and Taryn nodded. Alyssa's tricorder made an alarm.

"I…always wanted…to…meet…" his breathing stopped.

"Damn it." Dr Crusher stated and sat back on her heels. "The internal damage was just too severe, there was no room left in his chest for his lungs to expand with his bowel pushing up. Without the transporter…"

Taryn closed the man's eyes and kissed his forehead tenderly. "What was his name?" she asked. "He looks very young. He doesn't look old enough to be commissioned."

"He's new." Alyssa stated. "I don't remember."

"Adam McKenna." Dr Crusher advised them. "He was given a battlefield commission after he distinguished himself in combat during a cadet cruise. He was nineteen."

"Our youngest brother is nineteen." Taryn stated with tears rolling down her face. "He's a cadet, currently on the Sutherland. Is it awful that I hope he isn't distinguishing himself?" she asked Dr Cusher, "We already lost two brothers and a sister in this war."

" _There is someone else this way._ " Emlyn broadcast into their minds and signed for the benefit of Taryn and Data.

…

They stood back as Nareev lifted a heavy beam that was in their way.

"Is he your bodyguard?" Reg asked.

"No. He's my cousin. Nareev is a prince of the royal bloodline and my right hand, he's a Rhadaman Anthos." Taryn replied. Reg recognised the term describing a high ranking leader or arch-executive of royal status.

"And…I assume she's your handmaiden?" he indicated Barsha.

"What do I need a handmaiden for?" Taryn scowled. "She's my most senior Engineer and Scientific Advisor." She glared at him, "I can dress myself, wipe my own arse and defend myself."

"The other Tahedrin all brought servants and security. It was a reasonable assumption." he frowned. "So there's no one to watch your back?" he asked.

"Laika watches my back." she replied curtly.

"So you don't have any staff?" Reg asked.

"Of course I have staff. I live in a bloody palace." she stated indignantly. "But they have families, children. I can't ask them to up sticks and abandon their other responsibilities to travel across the quadrant because I have to have my fennel tea made just so." She sighed. "Slavery is so ingrained in our culture that my fellow Tahedrin forget that their people, and I don't just mean employees indentured or otherwise. They forget that the people don't belong to the Tahedri, the Tahedri belongs to their people. That's the first lesson Edara, my grandmother taught me."

"She sounds wise." Reg commented.

"She could also be a hard-nosed bitch but the wellbeing of her people was always foremost in her mind. For Orions success is marked by the quality of life of those below you on the ladder, not the numbers on your balance sheet."

"It sounds lonely at the top. Who keeps you warm at night?" he asked softly.

"That's no business of yours." she snapped. "You're just a diversion apparently, a freedom I'm not afforded on Barin Prime." He caught hold of her arm and pulled her back she went to walk away.

"You know I didn't mean that and I'm sorry…" he snapped and froze as he heard a snarl and turned to see a pair of scowling blue eyes and a set of long bared teeth shrouded in white fur.

"Let go of me." she whispered. "I warned you, Laika has my back." He let her go and the wolf backed down. "That was just a warning." she told him softly. "You're lucky she likes you or she'd have ripped out your throat." He could tell it wasn't a threat, it was a simple fact.

"How did you end up with a wolf as a pet anyway?"

"We apprehended a ship involved in the illegal trade of wild animals and there was a pregnant she-wolf on board. The mother and her cubs were returned to Earth and now live on a wildlife reserve in Scotland. Laika was the runt and I hand reared her, she needed a lot of care and attention but in saving her life she became too domesticated to survive on her own." she explained. "She imprinted on me. She thinks I'm her mother, her family so now she's part of mine." Taryn explained. "To answer your question she keeps me warm at night." she snapped, "She does hog the bed though, and she farts." she admitted softly.

Reg stifled a laugh. "I meant it, I'm sorry I said that. I was hurt and angry and I felt stupid that I didn't realise. It never occurred to me that a Tahedri could be a girl when it means patriarch."

"How misogynistic of you." she replied. "The translation isn't exact." she conceded. "I'm not the only female Tahedri by the way, just the only one on this ship."

"So can you have a male Tabadi?" he asked. "That is the right word for a Tahedri's mate isn't it?"

"It's the right word but you can't have a male Tabadi. There isn't a term for the male consort of a Tahedri."

"Why not?" he asked indignantly as Nareev continued to clear rubble.

"I don't know, I didn't create the bloody language did I?" she snapped. "If you'd given me time to explain I'd have told you I decided to retire after this summit and let Nareev take over. I wanted to be with you."

"I would have resigned and gone with you after I found out who you were but the last thing I'd want is to undermine you with your people. They probably expect you to marry an Orion."

"Whatever they expect that's not going to happen. I'll never marry an Orion and I've made no secret of that. Some of my cousins are like brothers to me but on the whole Orion men are muscle bound airheads. Not my type at all."

"So what is your type?" Reg asked.

"Tall, intelligent and shy, with big brown eyes and a fluffy chest." she looked at him askance.

"I meant it when I said I love you. I meant it when I proposed." he said softly.

"I meant all that I said in your quarters." she replied. "I could have made you listen to me if I'd wanted to, literally, using my pheromones but I didn't. I should have told you who I was in the first place but I liked you. I didn't want to intimidate you at first and later I liked that you seemed to like me for myself, not my position or the money. It was wrong of me. I still feel the same way about you but everything's different now." she added sadly.

"How?"

"Haven't you heard? We were attacked by Orions. The Syndicate wants to stop me from speaking at the negotiations."

"There are other Tahedrin on board…" he argued. "You don't know they were targeting you."

"They've already threatened me, more than once. That's why Nareev insisted we travelled on the Enterprise and not our ship," she whispered, "and now people are dead and it's all my fault." Her lower lip quivered, she savagely wiped her eyes and sniffed. "We need to stop soon, Emlyn looks tired." She looked sideways at Reg, "so do you."

"I'm fine." He lied with a forced smile. "We've covered the whole Saucer now anyway."

"You keep blinking and squinting and you're crunching your toes in your shoes. You're tired and your feet hurt." she informed him. "You look like you were rode hard and put away wet."

"You were the one in the saddle remember?" he whispered with a smirk.

"I have found the thermal signature Barsha can see." Nareev stated. "Aargh!" he withdrew his hand from the gap and there was the sound of a frightened cat. The prince swore in Orion, his hand covered in deep scratches.

"Here let me?" Reg offered and stepped forward. "Come on, it's okay." he said softly as he crouched to reach in and pulled the filthy, terrified cat out by the scruff of the neck. "Spot, poor little kitty." he cooed as he cradled her in his arms, stroking her gently. "This is Commander Data's cat." he explained. "She looks a little worse for wear but I don't think she's injured." He said as he looked at her carefully. "There's no blood on her. Not hers anyway." He added guiltily and gave Nareev a sympathetic look. "She's not the most sociable of cats."

"I prefer larger felines." Nareev smirked.

"We all know you've been seeing the Caitian Envoy since we came aboard. You don't have to brag." Barsha snapped.

"I believe you are jealous." Nareev teased.

"Of course I'm jealous. He's gorgeous." Barsha added with a yawn.

Taryn touched her brother on the shoulder and signed something to him. He walked away tiredly taking Laika with him and Nareev and Barsha followed.

"Emlyn is going to take a break, he's exhausted. This has taken a lot out of him. Reaching beyond his line of sight is a strain and Nareev and Barsha need to get some sleep." Taryn stated as she rubbed Spot behind her ear, "I sent that big hairy thing off with him but he says he's not tired and refused to go." Taryn gave Reg a cheeky smile, she clearly meant him and not the wolf.

"I'll take her back to Data and see if Commander La Forge has any more work for me to do." Reg said and stood up. "Will I see you later?" he asked plaintively.

"I don't know." she replied sadly. "For now I'll come with you to see if there's anything else I can do."

"You've done so much already. Don't you need to sleep too?" he asked as they walked.

"I sleep less than three hours a night and I can go for a week without sleep if need be." she explained. "It comes with the ears." She smiled warmly at him.

He wanted her, he yearned for a life with her but deep down he knew she was probably right. Had they met under different circumstances he didn't doubt they could overcome anything together but there was so much at stake, so much pitted against them. It was hopeless. "I…I can't bear this. I c…can't be around you. I'm sorry." he said and strode away with his head down. "Come on Spot." he whispered.

"You are a complicated man Mr Barclay." Taryn whispered as she watched him go. "And you're walking away again."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"You've done well, you make a great team." Geordi smiled as he worked on the conduit.

"I…I didn't really do much sir." Reg protested.

"That's not what I hear. You helped rescue fifteen people and Spot."

"It…it was mostly Tar…the Tahedri and Emlyn. They did the hard work, and Barsha is a great systems engineer."

"How about the big guy?" Geordi asked.

"For a prince with a diplomatic background he's not afraid to work and get his hands dirty although he was less than thrilled when Spot gouged his hand. He's a nice guy too."

"Well, I have an important job for you Mr Barclay."

"Yes sir?"

"Haul your ass over to the conference lounge and get some sleep. They've got some cots set up for crew who lost their quarters."

"But sir?" Reg protested.

"That's an order Lieutenant."

"I…I can keep working sir. I know you think I'm not…that I can't c…cope like the other officers…"

"Reg, you have nothing to prove. I've already sent eight other officers for some shut eye and more will follow. The nearest ship is seventy-two hours away and we need to be prepared in case there's another attack. I need my people fresh and alert, especially you as I need you to take charge so I can get some sleep later on."

"Oh. Uh…thank you sir." Reg replied, genuinely touched by his superior's faith in him. "Is it true they were Orions? Not the Dominion?"

"It's possible they were both," Geordi stated, "but right now that's the least of our worries."

"Is it?" Reg asked dejectedly. "I…I'll be back in four hours sir." he stated and turned away.

"Barclay?" Geordi called after him. "Make it at least six." Reg nodded and turned away, his expression pained.

…

"I'd offer you a warm milk, but the Grand Nagus is still trying to get the replicators back online." Guinan told him as he sat at the bar, his head in his hands. "Trouble sleeping?"

"That's an understatement." Reg moaned. He'd spent the last hour trying to get comfortable on the cot in the lounge but it was lumpy and too short, someone was snoring loudly and his thoughts were filled with the woman who, right or wrong blamed herself for their predicament. He didn't head to the bar to drown his sorrows or bend the ear of the staff. He simply had nowhere else to go.

"Girl trouble?" Guinan asked.

"Bad news travels fast around here." he commented and looked up as a Ferengi put a bowl of stew in front of him with a small plate containing some flat bread. "Does this have bugs in it?" he asked with a sneer, fearing the reputation of Ferengi cuisine.

"No, vegetables and pulses. It's the best the Tahedri of the Caj Corsti's chef could come up with on a double burner out back you ungrateful son of a…" Quark threatened.

"I…I apologize." Reg said and tasted the stew. "This is really good." he said looking surprised.

"I'll send your compliments to the chef." Quark said indignantly and flounced off.

"He's not used to running a soup kitchen, or working in someone else's bar. The words Prima Donna spring to mind." Guinan looked at Barclay earnestly. "So is she bad news? She seems kinda nice to me."

"No she's lovely." he replied with a sigh. "She's perfect."

"So what's the problem? Aside from the fact she's a powerful woman that everyone is pinning their hopes on to turn the tide in the war."

"She's a one-hundred-pound girl who would happily work herself to death and she blames herself for everything that's happened."

"If you replaced the words 'one-hundred-pound girl' for 'six feet two engineer' you could be describing yourself there." Guinan stated. "It sounds like you have a lot in common. Any ideas what she has up her sleeve?"

"Not a clue, I'm not even sure she knows. She's frightened, I know that much. I'm not six two either. I'm six one." he added.

"Don't you believe in her?" Guinan asked as she poured him a glass of water.

"Of course I believe in her but she's not some kind of Messiah."

"Maybe she needs someone in her life to remind her of that." Guinan stated. "The kind of man who's so honest he won't misrepresent his height by an inch?" she added and left him to eat his stew.

"Would you like me to help you relax?" someone whispered in his ear as they massaged his shoulders. Reg nearly choked on his food and pulled away shyly.

"Leba! I've told you this isn't that kind of establishment. You just need to serve food and clear the tables." Quark barked as he emerged with a tray piled with covered bowls. "Could you take these to Sickbay for me please?" The green handmaiden nodded and took the tray. She flashed a smile at Reg as she passed him and Quark watched her go. "Those Green Women." he smiled. "I bet that girl gives fantastic oo-mox."

Reg decided he didn't want to know what oo-mox was, particularly while he was eating.

"Of course my favourite is the Girl Tahedri… those ears? Ooh!" he exhaled sharply. "I've always had a soft spot for a Vulcan woman and she's green too. Now she's really something. Her power excites me. Her money excites me and I bet her ta-tas are enough to make a priest from the monastery at P'Jem weep."

Reg didn't like to hear her spoken about like that but the sight of said ta-tas indeed made him whimper the first time he laid eyes on them. "Thank you for the food." he said and wiped his mouth as he stood to leave.

"You're welcome Lieutenant." Quark stated as he watched him go. "So that's her type. No accounting for taste." he muttered.

"Barclay has hidden depths." Guinan told him. "He belongs in a whole other place. If only he'd realized it years ago."

"Do you have a Bolian option?" a representative from the Gorn Hegemony asked Quark.

"Bolian option? Yes, we have a Bolian option. You can fuck off." Quark replied. "It's vegetable stew or nothing." The huge archosaur walked away looking affronted. "Bolian option, don't people know there's a war going on?" he moaned indignantly.

…

"Commander!" Reg called as he shuffled through the bustling officers still at work.

"I thought I gave you an order Reg." Geordi stated.

"I know, I'm sorry sir." he panted, out of breath from running. "I need to know where she's working."

"Who?" Geordi asked, feigning ignorance.

"Taryn…the…the Tahedri."

"Oh…her, now where did I send her?" Geordi smirked. "She went to look at the bone fusion units in Sickbay."

"Thank you sir." Reg said and sprinted away.

…

"What's the matter? Are you alright?" Taryn asked as he ran into Sickbay. She had just closed the unit she was working on and was retuning tools to the kit she had borrowed.

"No, I'm not alright. I'm in agony." he stated and took her hand as she went to call for a doctor in alarm. "I kissed my lover goodbye and when I saw her again everything had changed but not the way I felt. You keep saying things aren't simple, well they are. It doesn't matter if the entire universe shifts around us as long as we're together. I really want to marry you and we can sort out the stuff like who resigns later. I don't even care if we both quit and just start someplace new after the talks but I have to be with you."

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him frantically.

"There are things we should discuss," she said breathlessly between kisses as they embraced in the turbolift, "if you're serious about getting married?"

"Like what?" he panted and sighed, kissing her deeply. "I'm extremely serious about us getting married." he told her as he came up for air.

"Do you want children?" she asked as he kissed her neck.

"Yes, do you?" he replied nibbling her ear.

"Yes, but I'm not sure I can have them. I'm…oh!" she bit her lip as he found a sweet spot on her neck, "I'm a hybrid and they think I'll have problems conceiving naturally. Oh God." she moaned and kissed him hungrily. "How do you feel about adoption if fertility treatment doesn't work?"

"Love the idea." he lifted her and pressed her against the wall, her leg wrapped around his. "How we get our family isn't what's important."

"That's exactly how I feel." she whispered. They stopped frottaging and jumped apart as the doors opened and calmly walked along the corridor, pretending nothing was going on to passing crewmen despite the fact he looked flushed and they both looked ruffled.

"I'm not sure you'd want my babies anyway." Reg whispered.

"Why would you say that?" she asked with alarm.

"My genetic chemistry is a little odd and I have at least one dormant gene."

"Is it a problem? I mean, you're not ill or anything?" she asked with concern.

"No, I'm fine, but a while back Dr Crusher gave me a synthetic T Cell to fight a flu Humans should be immune to and I caused everyone on the ship to de-evolve into lower order life-forms."

"What kind of lower order life-forms?" she asked, looking amazed.

"Well, Counsellor Troi turned into an amphibian, Nurse Ogawa turned into a monkey, what Worf turned into baffled everyone and I turned into a…spider."

"What was it like?" she asked with interest.

"I don't actually remember but I dream about it sometimes I think. I suppose instinct describes how it felt. Instinct and nothing else really. You know, you're the first person to ask me that." He flashed her a brief but genuine smile.

"Do a lot of people ask you about it?"

"Mostly doctors and scientist. Get a disease named after you and it makes you something of a celebrity among biology nerds."

"They named it after you?" she asked with an amazed smile.

"Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome." he replied uneasily. "I…I have a confession to make…"

"You're married aren't you, there's someone else." she froze.

"No, nothing like that." he assured her and turned to face her. "It's…I'm a holo-addict… a recovering holo-addict." he added quickly. "I found it really hard when I first got here and I felt isolated, I didn't fit in so…I made friends, not in the real world. A photonic crew and it got out of hand. I nearly… lost myself." He lowered his eyes. "If it wasn't for Commander La Forge and Counsellor Troi I'd probably still be in there or in some kind of secure facility."

"It's brave of you to tell me that." she took his hand. "I suppose I should tell you I'm aquaphobic. I nearly drowned when I was little. I don't even like taking a bath."

"I'm transporter phobic, but I've been working on it for a while now. desensitization therapy, you should try it. It really works." he told her. "…and I'm a bit of a hypochondriac." he looked guilty. "Actually a lot of a hypochondriac." She stretched up and kissed his cheek tenderly. "We need to get to your quarters right now." he whispered breathily, gazing into her eyes. She nodded earnestly.

"My father is the Judge Advocate General." she whispered as they resumed walking, faster than before.

"So? My mother is with the Office of the Inspector General." he replied.

"He's not with the office, he's THE Judge Advocate General. Admiral Prior." she explained as they shot into her suite and fell into each other's arms again, kissing frantically.

"Don't mind me." Barsha said as she sat reading in the lounge and Laika lifted her head and watched them pass.

"At least your name isn't Taryn Barin." he whispered as they staggered into her bedroom. "I'm all dirty," he said, "have they got the sonic showers working yet?"

"No and I'm all dirty too, who cares?" she replied as he unfastened her coverall and she pulled off his uniform jacket, followed by opening his turtleneck. "How many layers are you wearing?" she said impatiently as she pulled at his t-shirt.

"What's wrong with your hair?" he asked as he pulled it free of the band holding it back. It looked lop sided.

"It got singed off on one side. I'll get it cut later." she replied dismissively as she undid his pants and he peeled off her filthy jumpsuit, pausing to look at her scars. Two patches of mottled discoloured skin, one on the back of her shoulder and spread across her deltoid, the other on her forearm near her elbow. "Dr Selar said they may fade in time. I'm not really bothered though. My Human Grandad used to say scars are like tattoos with much better stories behind them." she grinned.

He could tell she meant it. She'd worked all day in an overall that you could fit three of her in and was covered in carbon and muck with her hair a mess and didn't care at all. She didn't have a vain bone in her body. Her clothes that he'd seen so far were all practical and comfortable rather than the clothes, or lack thereof he'd seen the other delegates wearing. In fact all the Barin delegation seemed to buck trends. None of the crew knew there was any such thing as a Grey Orion before they met Barsha and it was most unusual for an Orion male to have hair. They were either bald or shaved their heads, no one was certain which. Nareev was large and muscled but lean and rangy rather than a musclebound hulk. As for Emlyn, he wasn't a delegate. He was just hitching a ride back home to Earth following a visit with his sister and cousins. Reg supposed it was possible the Orions that came into contact with the Federation weren't representative of the entire species of course, but so little was known about their culture the stereotypes were very much ingrained within the Federation. "I thought they would be much worse from the state you were in. Do they hurt?" he asked as he gently touched her scars.

She shook her head. "They didn't really hurt at the time although around the wound margins was painful and my face was agony. These were deeper burns, I must have lost nerve tissue. It regenerated well though. I have full sensation now." She smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair, or what was left of it.

"You could get your hair stimulated if you want to keep it long." he said as she grabbed him and they fell back on the bed naked in each other's arms.

"That's not the kind of stimulation on my mind at the moment." She smiled up at him and they shared a sweet tender kiss.

"This is for keeps right?" he asked as he stroked her hair out of her eyes. "No more back and forth."

"Definitely for keeps," she replied and he sighed, buried his face in her neck and kissed it softly, "but some back and forth sounds exactly what I need right now." she smiled as he laughed against her shoulder.

"Oh, I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too." she told him. "Reg?" she whispered with a frown, noticing he seemed rather relaxed all of a sudden. She was answered by a snore. "I said you were tired." She smiled and cradled the back of his head in her hand, shifted position slightly to get more comfortable and kissed his cheek. "Sleep well my sweet man."

…

She was smiling sweetly in her sleep when he awoke in her arms. He gently stroked her cheek with his finger, she looked beautiful and tranquil and she was his, all his. She stirred and a broader smile spread over her lips.

"Good morning." he whispered and kissed her softly with a smile, then horror dawned on him. "Oh boy." he whispered. "I fell asleep on you didn't I?" he asked with a concerned expression.

"Yes, literally in fact." she giggled.

"I'm really sorry." he said guiltily and rolled onto his back. "Trust me to nod off while making love to a Green Woman." He rubbed his face distractedly and sighed.

"I'm just glad you finally got some sleep." she said as she snuggled up to him.

"I wonder if they've got the replicators back online, or the showers. No offence but you stink." he chided playfully.

"I know, it's unavoidable with my physiology." she replied. "You're no rose garden yourself."

"So am I going to become hopelessly dependent on your excretions?" he asked.

"Yes, until you become delusional, aggressive and try to kill anyone who so much as looks at me funny. I know we said for keeps but that may become a problem for us."

"No, we'll find a way." he assured her, toying with her hair idly. "I'm never letting you go."

"What time are you back on duty?" she asked, rubbing his chest gently.

"About," he craned his neck to look at the chronometer, "twenty minutes ago." he said and reluctantly got up. He went to her bathroom then came out minutes later shaking his head. "No showers and the head won't vaporise waste." He pulled on his shorts and t-shirt and picked up his uniform. "It's going to get a little ripe around here."

"That uniform could stand up by itself." she told him. "It's a biohazard."

"I know, Ashby bled all over it, Spot crapped and peed on me...there's soot and I don't know what on it." He pulled a face, stuck his communicator on his chest and removed his rank insignia from the collar of the turtleneck.

"I wish you'd told me that before I dry humped you in the turbolift." she said with distaste as she got up and grabbed her work out clothes, pulling them on.

"I'm going to find some coveralls or something." he said bending to kiss her, which turned into a more heated embrace. "I have to go." he pleaded with a smile, taking her hand from his neck and kissing it.

"I'll come with you." she stated. "No fiancé of mine is roaming the ship in his underwear without a chaperone."

…

There were wolf whistles as he walked into auxiliary engineering. He ignored them, grabbed some overalls from one of the lockers and pulled them on.

"Reg, I'm gonna get some sleep now you're back. Here's a list of who's assigned to work where and I made up a roster for rest breaks." Geordi handed him a padd. "Rom just got the replicators back online at Guinan's and I just set your girlfriend and her pal Barsha to work getting power to the showers and waste disposal starting with Sickbay. I said I'd take her a pair of coveralls." he grabbed the smallest pair but they'd still be massive on her.

"She's not my girlfriend anymore." Reg stated distractedly as he looked at the padd.

"Sorry Reg." Geordi commiserated.

"No," he smiled, "no, I mean we're engaged, she's my fiancée."

"Well, Reg. I think you're rushing into this a little fast. Maybe you were right, I mean, she's a Tahedri and you're just a Lieutenant." Geordi said earnestly.

Reg looked devastated. "Maybe you're right…"

"You should wait until Captain Picard makes your promotion official to tie the knot."

"M…my…promotion?"

"Seems that's what you get for carrying a wounded man to safety in the middle of a battle, along with being recommended for a commendation." Geordi grinned.

"Anyone would have done the same." Reg argued shaking his head.

"Plenty would have left a man that badly injured. You risked getting left in the Drive Section by saving him. The Captain calls that conspicuous gallantry and so do I." Geordi offered him his hand. "Congratulations on your engagement Lieutenant Commander Barclay." Geordi hugged him and slapped his back. "It's high time we had some good news around here."

"Thank you sir." Reg smiled shyly.

"A lot of the EPS power grid is still down but we have impulse engines, shields, weapons and subspace communications. Considering we're less than half a ship we're in pretty good shape." Geordi explained.

"Is there anything you'd like me to focus on?" Reg asked.

"We've had some complaints about the smell with all the Orions on board and no showers. I know, it's not their fault but some of the male crew are getting distracted and the females are complaining of headaches. Also Dr Crusher and Duncan have noticed a… well, it's almost a reverse empathy. Their emotional states are contagious. Get a big group of them and the mood just gets amplified. It's not telepathic though. It's biochemical and it seems to be caused by males as well as the females. No wonder their parties swing but I dread to think what a funeral would be like. You know, I'm surprised you haven't been more affected by her influence." Geordi added remembering Reg's obsessive scavenger hunt through Bastion when they first got together in his timeline.

"She's careful about what she says around me and it's not like she tries to make me jealous. Most people treat her with deference anyway." Reg explained. "We've talked about it. It may be a problem in the long term but we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

"I heard somewhere that mating with a Vulcan can make you immune if you form a mating bond. She is a quarter Vulcan, might be worth investigating?" Geordi suggested. If they were stuck in this timeline their relationship deserved a fighting chance.

"Thank you sir, I'll look into it." Reg smiled.

"Anyway, if you could try and increase the scrub and recycle on the environmental controls it might help, they're already at maximum and we have fights breaking out."

"I'll take a look sir."

…

"There's my Commander." Taryn smiled at him as he entered the corridor outside Sickbay holding a tricorder.

He smiled coyly, "It's not official yet." He crouched and looked in the panel she was working on. "We're lucky we didn't lose life support, let alone the showers." Reg grimaced as he inspected the damage.

"Mostly secondary systems are affected unless a blowing conduit took out something else. I think there was a massive power surge in the secondary grid and if the conduit didn't blow the system at the end of the line got fried." Taryn replied as she finished completing the power tap from the lighting system.

"I think you're probably right." he agreed as he watched her patch the connection to the power feed for the showers and waste management system. The lights dimmed momentarily in the corridor then returned to normal as the system picked up the slack. "I have a favour to ask?"

"Anything for my hero." she replied.

He smiled and scanned her with the tricorder. "Thank you." he kissed her cheek and stood, then began to walk away.

"Hold your horses Commander Barclay." Taryn stated. "Explain?"

He turned and faced her. "I'm trying to adapt the environmental system to filter out Orion pheromones and I needed a sample. Of course I could have asked Leba…"

"Leba?"

"She's working at the bar, she seems really...friendly. She's from the Caj Olvid I think." he teased.

"I know who Leba is. Everyone knows who Leba is, everyone with a penis anyway." Taryn said tersely.

"There's still no power to the shower units. There's another blown relay somewhere." Barsha said as she stepped into the corridor. "Am I interrupting something?" she said as she folded her arms and leant on the wall watching them both with her cybernetic eyes. A wry smile on her face.

"You're a Grey Orion right?" Reg asked.

"Your new consort is observant." the Grey woman said acidly.

"May I take a scan of your pheromones?" Reg asked.

"No." she replied flatly.

"It would really help," he turned to Taryn, "and joking aside I could use a scan from one of the Olvid females…Ruddy obviously, not Leba. I…I was just teasing about her." He flashed an embarrassed smile.

"Glad to hear it, but you can't scan her pheromones because she doesn't produce them. Not psychotropic ones anyway. Only Green Orions do." Taryn explained. "We're different species."

"Really?" Reg asked. "I didn't know that."

"We have as much in common as you do with Pan troglodytes," Barsha stated, 'Gorilla gorilla, Pongo pygmaeus or Pongo abelii." Barsha stated.

"A Neanderthal would be a better comparison," Taryn argued, "You are another great ape I suppose but chimpanzees and orangutans aren't hominids. With Orions three species evolved and became sapient."

"That's very unusual isn't it? I thought normally one species would naturally become dominant and edge the other out." Reg commented.

"It looked that way for a while," Taryn told him, "the Ruddies were dominant, but they kept Greens to do their bitch work and Greys because they were clever. They enslaved us and herded us like livestock."

"Seriously?" he asked incredulously.

"The Greys are all but extinct now, and the reason we are all afflicted has been lost." Barsha stated. "We're treated as an untouchable caste and quarantined on many Orion worlds."

"The Greens were traded as a commodity and by the time they realized their 'Green Animal Women' had enslaved them with their pheromones it was too late for the Ruddy slave masters. It's a tactic still used by pirates and traders on unsuspecting Captains."

"Can't anything be done to help the Greys?" he asked with a concerned expression.

"Our noble and forward thinking Tahedri is doing all she can." Barsha stated and hugged Taryn with an arm around her shoulders. "I'm going to try and track down that relay Taryn." she said and Taryn nodded with a smile.

"She's very informal with you." Reg commented.

"We've been friends for as long as I can remember. I spent a month every year on Barin Prime as a child and Nareev and I used to sneak off and play with the children at the orphanage she was raised in. His little brother Lural used to tag along too. We were a terrible influence on him." She grinned. "Edara eventually made Barsha her ward and paid for her implants personally. She suffered with awful headaches from her VISOR before that."

"So did Commander La Forge." Reg commented. "Your grandmother accepted your friendship with her, even though they were considered untouchable?"

"Edara never held such…cold-hearted ideas. She set up a trust for the education and healthcare of all the orphans on Barin Prime, whatever their colour, as soon as she came to power. She established the Dushara Children's Home. It's not like Dotheboys Hall or the Workhouse… It's nice there, homely." she replied indignantly.

"I wasn't being judgmental, I'm just trying to understand." he stepped closer and rubbed her upper arms.

"I know. I'm a little touchy about it. I've been defending Edara all my life, including to my parents and siblings. She was very Orion in some ways and extremely tolerant in others. Everyone forgets she mated with a Vulcan and bore his daughter, much less appointed her quarter Orion granddaughter as her successor, not that there was a choice." At Reg's expression she added. "I was her only female descendent and the Barins have been an open matriarchy for generations. Normally the Tabadi is the power behind the throne anyway, particularly in Green Caju but it's not publicly acknowledged."

"What about your mother?" Reg asked. "Did something happen to her?"

"She went on the lam decades ago. I've no idea where she is. She didn't even bother to finish gestating us."

"It could be worse, she could have stuck around like mine did." he said sadly. "I'd better get back to work, but I'll see you later if that's okay?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course it's okay." she smiled warmly at him. "Try and stop me."

…

"Oh God that feels good." he threw back his head in rapture.

"I hope you're not playing with yourself in there Mr Barclay?" Taryn shouted through the bathroom door.

"I'd forgotten what it feels like to be clean." he shouted over the hum of the sonic shower. With power in limited supply replication was strictly limited to emergency rations and vital equipment. Showering with replicated water as he preferred was deemed a waste. "Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?" he asked as he emerged wearing a bathrobe that clearly belonged to Taryn. Not only was it short but it was silky and about as feminine as a robe could be.

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" she asked with a frown. She was lying on her stomach wearing a long loose nightdress, propped up on her elbows reading. Beside her on the bed lay Laika.

"Well, your reputation…"

She snorted with laughter. "Are you serious?"

"W…what? So I'm just another one on the list?" he asked plaintively.

"No, exactly the opposite. History has yet to record a title for me but 'Taryn the Chaste' is currently a front-runner. Believe me the list is short and not at all distinguished. I just meant that it isn't an issue in Kolari culture."

"You…I mean you get that I expect us to be exclusive…monogamous?"

"Of course I do. Reg, are you having second thoughts about us?" she asked earnestly.

"No of course not, but your culture is very different." he explained, wringing his hands and pacing.

"I'm more Human than anything else." she argued and sighed. "I'd step down right now if these talks weren't so important. I told you that."

"I know, and I'd resign my commission if the ship wasn't in pieces out here. But, like I said earlier…I…I don't find it easy to make new starts and…"

"Come here, sit down?" she asked him gently and moved to kneel behind him, her arms around his shoulders. "What happened to the man who all but said the Universe can go to hell as long as we're together?"

"He's wondering what you get out of the deal." Reg sighed.

"I get the most loving, intelligent and sweet man I've ever met, who looks adorable in my robe, if a little silly." she admitted holding him tight. "I get a considerate lover who likes to cuddle after and doesn't seem to fall asleep immediately after shooting his load…."

"That's a good thing?" he asked innocently.

"God yes."

"From a Human point of view or an Orion one?"

"Both. Human females cherish intimacy during the afterglow and Green Orion women adore to talk to their men after mating. It's when they're at their most pliant and receptive to suggestion. As I was saying, I get a man who respects me and loved me even when he thought I was a serving wench."

"I thought you were a dancer." he commented. "Or a courtesan."

"Oh you did, did you?" she chided playfully, nuzzling his neck. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Nothing about you disappoints me. You're perfect." he said as he rubbed her wrist.

"I love your ears," she whispered as she applied a soft, tongued kiss to his earlobe, "and the way your hair curls behind them." he shivered as she caressed his neck with her tongue.

"That tickles…" he smiled and turned, grabbed her and laid on the bed pulling her on top of him, kissing her for all he was worth. He felt another tongue in his ear and briefly marveled at how clever she was to have two. Then his eyes snapped open with realization and he saw two bright blue eyes and large white teeth.

"Laika, out. Go on." Taryn urged. "I'm not sharing him with you. He's mine." She gazed into his eyes as the door opened and the wolf padded away. She sat back, straddling him with her hands on his chest. "You look freaked out. Do you want to stop?"

"No." he replied and grabbed her, resuming kissing her with intense passion.

…

"Taryn, Taryn are you okay?" he asked as she stirred fitfully beside him. "Oh boy, you're burning up." He reached for his communicator. "Medical emergency, Guest Quarters 5." He pulled on the robe he had borrowed and knelt beside her as she panted and writhed on the bed.

"What happened?" Dr Crusher stated as she ran into the room and rapidly scanned her.

"I don't know; she was like this when I woke up. She's feverish and she's unresponsive." Reg wept.

"I can't make sense of these readings, there's no bacterial or viral infection…" Dr Crusher froze as she pushed her hair from her face and noticed her ears. She changed the settings on her tricorder and scanned her again, then emitted a chuckle.

"This isn't funny!" Reg shrieked. "She's sick!"

"She's not sick, and if you're going to have a long term relationship with her you'll need to get used to this particular seven-year itch," the doctor smirked, "and handle the fact you're the one who needs to scratch it."

"Seven y…" Reg's alarmed expression turned to one of puzzlement. "Seven years? But she's only a quarter Vulcan?" Taryn snarled and grabbed at his robe, pulling him closer.

"I think you're best qualified to handle this emergency Reg." Crusher advised him and picked up her medkit.

"Well, what do I do?" he asked as the doctor headed for the door.

"You're a big boy. You work it out." she replied as she left the room.

 _Author's Note._

 _Dotheboys Hall is from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens. Taryn's reference to scars was inspired by a comment I read on facebook somewhere and Quark's 'Bolian option' line was paraphrased from the stand up Frankie Boyle on Mock the Week. One of my favourite quotes from him along with "If you don't think I'm a nosy bastard why did you write it in your diary?"_

 _As always comments are more than welcome, even if you don't like the story._

 _25/09/2016 Edit - Rogue reference to Riker removed. Apologies_


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Hold it right there." Reg ordered and pulled her back from the door by the hand. He swept her into his arms and carried her into the hotel suite.

"What are you doing?" Taryn giggled.

"I'm carrying my bride over the threshold." he explained.

"Why?" she asked with a frown.

"You never heard of that?" he asked. "Haven't you been to a Human wedding before?"

"Yes, but I didn't exactly follow the happy couple after they left the reception." she replied, her arms around his shoulders. "This is a tradition I take it?"

"It dates back to when men were men, and women didn't get any say in who they married because they were snatched and carried away." Reg explained, still holding her in his arms.

"Are you going to put me down?" she asked. "Or is there more to this tradition?"

"There's the part where I make passionate love to you." he squeezed her tight and kissed her, deeply and tenderly.

"Wait, I need to feed Laika." she whispered, her fingers touching his lips.

"Can't she wait?" he protested.

"Considering we're the only other meat here, no." Taryn warned with a smile.

"Okay." Reg stated and carried her to the replicator.

"A ten ounce raw steak please." she requested and grabbed the plate. He carried her over to the coffee table and held her as she leaned, giggling and put the plate down still cradled in his arms. Laika licked her lips and tucked in hungrily.

"You know, we could just cuddle if you aren't in the mood?" he suggested as she returned her hand to his shoulder.

"I'm definitely in the mood." she replied with a smile and pulled closer to him.

"Thank God for that!" he declared and swept her into the bedroom. "I adore you Mrs Barclay…You do want to be Mrs Barclay?" he stopped and frowned.

"I thought we covered that earlier today during the ceremony." she smiled.

"No, but… I don't know how Orion names work…" she silenced him with a kiss.

"I'm your Mrs Barclay." she assured him. "I have dual citizenship, on my Federation records I was listed as Taryn Prior and now I'm Taryn Barclay. Most Orions don't use their house names. They collect other names as time goes on, like nicknames."

"So you'd be Taryn the Beautiful?" he asked, depositing her on the bed gently.

"You'd be Reg the Rampant." she replied with a wolfish grin.

"That's not bad." he smirked as she stroked his cheek. "Definitely worth giving up my commission for."

…

"Are you okay?" Reg asked as he hugged her from behind. She was gazing out of the window in the dark at the view of San Francisco.

"Just thinking." She rested her head on his shoulder as he cradled her in his arms.

"You're worried about tomorrow." he told her and kissed the top of her head. She had opted for a mid-length cut, rather than a shorter style. Thanks to the style she chose only a little of her hair had needed to be regrown where it had been singed. The cut suited her with a fringe and feathering at the front that framed her face beautifully.

"Pensive perhaps. Not worried." Taryn replied.

"Have you finished your speech?"

"I haven't started it. I never write speeches. I always wing it." she replied.

Reg blanched. She had spent the remainder of the trip to Earth coaching him to within an inch of his life for what to expect during his brief stint as consort to the Tahedri. Everyone was pinning their hopes on her to turn the tide and the night before the conference she's using phases like 'wing it'?

"I can temper my argument to the reactions of the audience better if it isn't too planned. I know what points I need to get across and the ground I need to cover. It'll be better if it sounds spontaneous and emotive rather than rehearsed anyway. The Kolari always respond better to an impassioned speech rather than a logical argument. If you can throw some logic in there too and put their kind of spin on it, appeal to their nature…"

"No wonder you have a reputation as a great orator." He sighed. "Is there hope that the Orions will come into the war?" he asked.

"From what I know of Caju politics we'll never get unanimous support, but some will join the fight. Olvid and Corsti are furious that the Syndicate attacked the Enterprise with them aboard, that didn't do them any favours and I have one or two tricks up my sleeve to sway the neutral parties. Either way you'll have us, our fleet and the strategic advantage of our location in Outer Kolari space." She smirked. "Are you ready for your role in negotiations tomorrow my sweet consort?"

"No, but I'll do my best." he agreed.

"You'll be wonderful." she told him and pulled his arms tighter around her.

"Have you told anyone yet?" he whispered.

"No, have you?" she whispered back.

He shook his head. "I know it's too early but I'm really excited. I want to shout it from the rooftops." he turned her around and knelt in front of her. "Listen up in there?" he asked and she giggled. "You need to be good tomorrow and not make Mommy sick. She has an important job to do." he kissed her tummy tenderly and closed her robe. "We'll talk more later, while Mommy is asleep." he whispered and stood up and pulled her into his arms.

"I love you." Taryn giggled. "I want our son to be just like you."

"You think it's a boy?" he asked, "I'd love either but I'd like a girl, just like you."

…

"So you are the Consort of Barin." the Tabadi of the Caj Trunac looked down her nose at him. "Human, I might have known." Reg smirked inwardly. He had been warned that Taryn would be referred to as Barin by the Tahedrin and Tabadin. It was the only exception to the rule that those of her rank were to be referred to as Tahedri and only by their given name by blood kin. A rule he unknowingly broke when he called at her door on the Enterprise but fortunately Nareev chose to assume this was at her invitation and opted not to batter him senseless for the slight.

"I'm delighted to meet you Tabadi of Trunac." he replied.

"Ordinarily I would approach Barin directly, but now she has taken a mate that is no longer appropriate. Trunac wishes to mate our daughter to Endar, second son of the Corvaskar, but Elona has designs upon Lural."

"I see." he replied.

"In fact, she is with child by him already." the Green Woman admitted as she sipped from a goblet. "If Corvas finds out… Lural would be a much better match for her and I'm certain I could convince Trunac that an alliance between our families would be more beneficial." She toyed with his shirt as they spoke, flirting with him openly. Something else Taryn warned him about and he was now thankfully immune to chemically at least.

"I'm sure the matter would be open to negotiation…after these talks of course. Barin would certainly be opposed to a match with a Caj on the opposite side of a war…or one that stood by while others die?"

She smiled at him. "You are shrewd for a Human." She removed her hand from his chest. "Trunac is determined to retain neutrality but what our sweet girl-child wants she gets." she stated. "We shall have to see what happens." She turned and swept away thoughtfully.

"Mr Barclay…apologies Consort of Barin." Picard corrected as he shook his hand and slipped him his combadge surreptitiously.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to being called that sir." Reg smiled as he pocketed it.

"Tell me about it, everyone persists in calling my wife Dr Crusher and she's been Dr Picard for years now." Picard smiled. "How's married life?"

"Wonderful, but I'm really not cut out for diplomacy." Reg told him nervously.

"You handled that last one well, and she's a cougar." Picard stated. "They're all cougars." he added looking nervously around the room.

"I owe your wife a debt I can never repay for her acting tuition." Reg stated.

As the session was called the Captain added, "You know where we are, don't be a stranger." Reg was touched, he was a civilian now but the Captain had just made clear that both he and by extension the Barin delegation had unofficial back up from the Enterprise.

The room was circular with curved tables for each faction, three seats at each. The leader sat in the centre flanked by two advisors. In the case of the Orions the Tabadi or Consort sat to the left and a Rhadaman to the right, saving Corsti, a widower whose youngest daughter filled the role of Tabadi for ceremonial purposes.

The Federation President, a stately Catian with impressive whiskers named Colmex made an impassioned plea to the assembled dignitaries in the huge stateroom. After that the Caj Corvas were the first to speak, followed by the Destri, the Estis, and the Dorna all pledging continued neutrality. Then came Taryn's turn.

"President Colmex, Arch-chancellor Straxxis of the Gorn Hegemony, Grand Negas Rom, assembled Tahedrin. My Federation sympathies are widely known, but I hope what is also known about me is my loyalty to the Kolari culture and way of life. My skin is green, my heart pumps green blood through my veins. Kolari blood. But today I am ashamed of my heritage and offer a heartfelt apology for the blatant lies my fellow Tahedrin have spouted before this august assembly." Disquiet and jeering filled the chamber and there was a call for order. "You dare to speak of neutrality while Destri, Corvas and Dorna continue their ties with the Syndicate which is not only in talks with the Dominion but taking orders from them."

"Lies!" Destri, a Ruddy female Tahedri shouted.

"We can show you the sensor logs from the time of the attack on the Enterprise by Syndicate ships. They clearly show the biosignal of a Vorta on board the lead vessel." Colmex reported.

"I saw those ships with my own eyes through the Enterprise's shattered hull. Two bore the Corvas banner." Taryn stated coldly. "What did they promise you Corvas? Dominion of course, that's what they always promise but Federation territory will have already been pledged to the Breen, the Cardassians and the Romulans for the blind-eye they are currently looking through." she mused as she eyed Corvas appraisingly. "They promised the Great Kolari Empire didn't they? You sold us all as slaves!" she shouted accusingly. "Did the Founders castrate you to make you a more compliant lap dog Corvas?"

"Watch your tongue you mongrel bitch or I will carve it from your head!" Corvas stood and shouted. "You have no right to even call yourself Tahedri."

"You have no right to call yourself man or Kolari!" she bellowed in reply. "You are nothing but a Dominion puppet!"

"Is this true Corvas?" the Tahedri of the Corsti asked coldly. "You attacked a Federation ship knowing three Tahedrin were aboard?"

"Of course not..." Corvas argued.

"How convenient for you the attacking ships that survived the blast from the drive section initiated self-destruct." Olvid, a Ruddy Orion stated. "A typical Green tactic to cover your tracks." Order was called as dissent broke out in the room again. Taryn noted there was heated debate between Trunac and his spouse, clearly Reg had done well in his role of consort and they would get the ally they needed as well as Lural getting official sanction for the girl he'd already declared as his mate without her parent's knowledge.

"Where is Beren, Corvas?" Taryn asked with a frown, eying Endar who was sitting as Rhadaman Anthus in place of his older brother. "It was his ship I saw. Did you send your firstborn to be baptised in battle?" She watched as Corvas shifted in his seat, avoiding her gaze. "There it is, the price of Syndicate membership." she said softly and swallowed before continuing. "The Caj Barin will not bow to the Dominion threat and we propose a coalition with the Federation until this scourge is neutralised, adding our fleet to theirs." Taryn turned to Nareev who stood and activated the huge holographic display in the centre of the room showing ship plans.

"Our fleet comprises of twelve Korgasant-Class sixteen deck Battlecruisers, twenty-four Slethi-class scout ships and fifty Tiradosir-class drone fighters all armed with the latest in ablative armour, advanced phaser technology and quantum torpedoes. Our shipyards will be able to match this commitment in the course of the next five years. In addition to this all the Captains affiliated with the Edarine Guild of Traders, the Association of Merchants and the Barinkar Union of Brokers have signed a covenant and more are making the same commitment each day. Currently over ninety percent of our civilian trade fleet will render aid and assistance to any Federation or allied vessel with no negotiation or fee required." Nareev reported and walked over to the President's seat. "We await your orders sir, here are the command codes for your drones." he handed him an optronic key and returned to his seat

"How have you managed to raise a fleet of such size?" Destri asked incredulously.

"While you were empire building with the Syndicate and Corvas was taking tea with shape-shifters we have been educating our people. You have cut-throat brigands and pirates while we have engineers, scientists, doctors and architects. Even our farmers are trained in the latest agricultural techniques." Taryn explained. "A free man earning a fair wage to support his family will always work harder than a beaten slave, a lesson my Caj learned generations ago." She smiled a half smile. "I would also like to pledge the use of the abandoned Syndicate outpost on Barin Nova to the Federation for the duration of hostilities with the Dominion." She looked to the President, "May I request an additional table be added? I would like to include another Caj in the talks."

"WHAT?" Dorna bellowed. "This is an outrage. To include minor, fly by night factions…"

"The faction in question is greater in terms of population than your own and has a higher cash turnover Dorna. Your Caj is but a century old, the youngest here in fact. Would you like to give up your seat?" Taryn asked sweetly as the table was holographically produced and three hooded figures took their seats. "I would like to introduce Olmen, democratically elected Tahedri of the Grey Kolari, his Tabadi Oresta and Barsha, his newly appointed Rhadaman." The three removed their hoods. Olmen was thin, his white hair fell to his shoulders and a single dark eye peered from the centre of his forehead. Oresta seemed frail, willowy and slight, her breathing aided by a tube that ran beneath her nose but her eyes shone with intelligence and wisdom and Barsha sat strong and proud. Her cybernetic eyes gleaming.

"You dare to bring diseased filth to this conference?" Corvas spat.

"They are as Kolari as we are and I'd like to remind my fellow Tahedrin of the Corvas, Destri and Dorna that they were afforded the courtesy of giving their speeches uninterrupted!" Taryn glared. "Today I have gone against every Kolari instinct in my body but I know it to be right. I cannot stand by and allow our worlds to become subjugated by the Dominion with the assistance of the Syndicate. The Syndicate declared war on every free Orion state when they attacked the Enterprise. It was nothing short of a coup to seize power for their Dominion masters and if I have to abandon the most cherished concept of neutrality to defend our way of life then it must be sacrificed. You may believe the Dominion will offer us greater power but their promises are always empty. We've all heard the intelligence reports. They gave Bajor to the Cardassians only to later promise Cardassian territory to the Breen. Unless we act now and act in concert one by one we will fall to them. If we wait and maintain our cluros the Jem'Hadar will be knocking at the Homeworld's door and it will be too late. Our people, our children will be enslaved." She sat to the sound of applause from the gallery and exhaled sharply.

"If that's you winging it I'd be terrified to hear a speech you wrote in advance." Reg whispered.

Olmen stood to speak. "President Colmex, Arch-chancellor Straxxis of the Gorn Hegemony, Grand Negas Rom, assembled Tahedrin. I have little to add aside from matching the fleet commitments of the Caj Barin with an additional fifty Tiradosir drones." he stated as Barsha gave the command codes to the president. "Our pledge however, comes with strings attached. We do not care if the rest of the Kolari do not want us. We only wish to be allowed to live as best we can in freedom and the new colony moon gifted to us by Barin will allow us that autonomy. But as our noble friend Corvas pointed out, all of us are afflicted, many dying and we would like to request that a number of your holographic doctors be supplied to teach our medical staff techniques and treatments we may not have tried."

"That certainly doesn't seem unreasonable and is well within our remit to provide humanitarian aid." Colmex stated. "I'm sure we can accommodate your request Tahedri."

…

"You look tired." Reg told her as she sat on the bed. "I'll take Laika out to do her business, you take a nap." he offered.

"Maybe some fresh air would…" she paled as she stood up. "I think I'll take that nap." she agreed, sitting back on the bed.

He kissed her softly and took the leash from her hand. "I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too." she replied and curled up on the bed.

…

He knew something was wrong the moment he returned. The bathroom door was closed. She never closed the bathroom door, she was shameless and she wasn't in the bedroom. Laika ran straight to the closed door and scratched at it, whining frantically.

"Taryn?" he called and found the door was locked. He shouldered it and found her lying in the bath naked, her face shrouded by billowing hair. "Oh God." he cried and pulled her out and onto the floor, she wasn't breathing and had no pulse. He started mouth to mouth and pulled the combadge from his pocket before starting chest compressions. "Barclay to Enterprise, Medical Emergency at this location."

"What happened?" Crusher asked as she beamed in with Alyssa and took over treatment.

"I came back and found her in the bath, under the water." Reg said desperately as he stood aside.

"Crusher to Enterprise. Four to beam directly to Starfleet Medical."

…

"Neural stimulators." she ordered. "Wait outside please?" she asked Barclay earnestly. "She's in good hands, Dr Houghton is a specialist in hybrid medicine." Reg shook his head and turned as the captain and Data entered and stood beside him.

"Interlock current feeds. Sensitivity factor… damn it. Let's go with 6.8." Dr Houghton told the technician.

"Heath?" Beverly queried her colleague's uncertainty.

"Her neurology looks more Vulcan than Human. She's too unique to be certain." Crusher nodded and watched as her vital signs improved.

"She's breathing, that's good right?" Reg asked as the medics rushed around her.

"She's not breathing on her own. It's life support Reg." Beverly explained as she worked.

"Neural activity is falling." Alyssa reported.

"Direct stimulation. 100 microvolts." Houghton ordered.

"Doctor that's…" one of the techs began to argue. "It's above the recommended level."

"Do it." Beverly ordered and applied a hypospray to her neck. Taryn twitched in response to the device. "Again?" she asked as she checked the readings. "110." She instructed and grimaced at the lack of response. "Again?" She locked eyes with Reg for an instant before looking to Dr Houghton. "She's pregnant." she whispered softly.

"Not anymore." Houghton replied apologetically and leaned with his knuckles on the biobed. "They were both oxygen deprived too long. Time of neurological death 1724." Houghton looked down at her. "Pretty girl. Who was she? One of the dancers from the Orion delegation?"

"No, she was probably our last hope for winning this war." the auburn haired doctor intoned sadly. "Reg, I'm so sorry. Would you like a moment with her before we take her off support?" Beverly told him as he pushed Houghton aside, lifted the cowl and pulled her limp body into his arms, drawing a blanket over her to cover her modesty. A choked sob broke from his lips as he buried his face against her neck and began to wail as loudly and as profoundly as a Klingon death cry.

…

"It's seems clear cut to me." The civilian police investigator stated in the suite next door to preserve the scene. "She got drunk, passed out in the tub and drowned. A tragedy at best, certainly not a homicide or an assassination."

"My daughter rarely drank alcohol and even if she did it never made her drunk." Admiral Prior stated. "She wouldn't take a bath, she was terrified of drowning. She didn't even like to shower with water."

"She was also pregnant." Dr Crusher stated. "She told me she liked the taste of champagne but she refused it at the reception. She was thrilled about the baby and was taking care of herself, she wouldn't drink."

"Oh God." Iestyn sobbed and held is head in his hands as he paced around Nareev's hotel room. "Believe me, this was no accident."

"How do we request a post-mortem examination?" Nareev asked.

"She stinks of Orion rum, we have an empty bottle. An autopsy would be a waste of time." The policeman stated.

"You have a leader of a foreign power dead, having already received credible death threats." Picard intoned. "Surely an autopsy wouldn't be an unreasonable request?" The policeman shook his head.

"We don't need your permission. As Tahedri her body belongs to me." Nareev stated. "Have her put in stasis for return to Barin Prime. We will arrange a post-mortem."

"You aren't taking her anywhere." Admiral Prior shouted. "I entrusted her to Edara's care and she dumped so much responsibility on her that her life wasn't her own. She wanted to be transporter scattered not lie in some cold tomb on a planet light years from where she was born."

"No." Reg wailed from the doorway, with Geordi trying to restrain him. "You can't rip her to pieces on a transporter." he sobbed. "She's dead and you're fighting over her as if she was yours but she's mine too, the baby was…mine and…"

"Do you want an autopsy Reg?" Dr Crusher asked approaching him.

"I want to know who did this to them." he whispered and nodded. "Would you do it? I don't want her…dissected by some…stranger."

"I'll do it." she assured him.

"I want her buried on Earth, I want to be buried with her." he pleaded and broke into keening sobs as he curled into a foetal ball against the doorframe and Beverly crouched with her arm around him. "It would be different if we died together…It wouldn't matter, as long as we were together." he told the doctor.

"As you wish." Nareev acquiesced. "It is only my desire to find her killer. It would not be the first time a holographic image has secretly lain in state to satisfy my people's need to say farewell. She was beloved by all on Barin Prime and our wider territory. Many will mourn her."

"I'm sure had she known you wouldn't want it she would have changed her final wishes." Iestyn agreed and crouched beside Reg. "Do you have family we can call?" he asked his stricken son-in-law.

"We're his family," Geordi stated. "But I think his Dad lives on Earth somewhere?"

"I tried to contact him, he's on a book tour, out of the sector." Crusher stated.

"Does he still have quarters on what's left of the Enterprise?" Prior asked. "I'll take him home with me but he doesn't really know any of us aside from Emlyn. We only met him yesterday at… at their wedding." Iestyn choked up and turned away from Reg as he stood and resumed pacing.

"We'll find him some. Mr La Forge?" Picard stated and Geordi beamed up to the ship with him.

"You Starfleet heroes want to waste your time go ahead. I've got better things to do than investigate some green assed lush stupid enough to drown herself." the civilian investigator stated and headed for the door. The Admiral grabbed the man by the collar and slammed him against the doorframe angrily. No one even tried to hold him back.

"I beg your pardon?" President Colmex said as he entered the room and towered over the man, flanked by his aides and bodyguards. "Show some respect. She was a well-loved leader of her people. Get out and get the Chief of Police here now!" he ordered. "Someone tell me what happened?"

Iestyn let the police officer go, glaring at him coldly as he adjusted his clothing and left the room. "That idiot wants us to believe that in the space of time it took my son-in-law to take the wolf outside for a shit my hysterically aquaphobic, pregnant daughter necked an entire bottle of Orion rum despite the fact she's physiologically incapable of alcohol intoxication and accidentally drowned herself in the bath." Iestyn stated.

"In other words she was murdered, probably by the Syndicate." Colmex commented.

"I want that man investigated for links to the Syndicate." Iestyn demaded and Colmex nodded, touching the Admiral's upper arm to comfort him.

"My First Officer is examining the scene along with my Chief of Security sir." Picard reported. "Her Consort has agreed to let Dr Crusher perform an autopsy."

"Good, although ideally I'd prefer a civilian investigation." Colmex commented. "But given the idiot they sent it's probably best in your hands."

"If they did this in hope I withdraw our pledge to you they are mistaken." Nareev stated. "I assure you our offer stands and I will say as much when talks resume tomorrow. My cousin and I were as one in our determination to stop the Dominion. If anything her death only strengthens my resolve."

"Thank you Tahedri, but my primary concern is that we may have someone running around killing delegates." Colmex stated. "I want security doubled around this hotel." he told his team.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"How are you doing?" Geordi asked Reg as he opened the apartment door, not that he needed to ask. Reg looked pale and drawn, thin, under-nourished and bearded. He was wearing a t-shirt and sweats and was in socked feet. He clearly wasn't looking after himself.

"Come in." Reg mumbled and shambled away leaving the door open. "Close the door, Laika will run off."

"I thought she left with Nareev?" Geordi asked.

"No, he gave her to Barsha, she gave her to Emlyn…It's not that no one wants her, she won't eat. She's pining. She gets out and she just sits on Taryn's grave howling. Most of the time I feel like joining in." he poured himself a glass of scotch despite it being early in the day. "Do you want a drink or anything?"

"A coffee would be nice. I'll get it." Geordi stated, tearing his eyes from the depressed wolf sprawled on the living room carpet like a hearth rug and heading to the replicator. "This place is nice." Geordi added as he looked around the flat. He'd run past this building in 1891 chasing Data. It wasn't far from the safe-house Data had set up with the Matthews in Hampshire although felt much longer ago than a few weeks ago as it was for him chronologically, or even five hundred years ago. It felt like several millennia. It had clearly been extensively modernised and adapted for 24th century living.

"It's okay. Better than living with my Dad in Wales." Barclay stated as he sipped his whiskey. "It's closer to Taryn. I might move to the States though. Laika might do better further away but I wouldn't put it past her to try and swim the Atlantic to get back to Taryn's grave."

"You could come back to work? Reactivate your commission?" Geordi stated as he sat down with his coffee.

"Can I turn up on shift drunk?" Reg asked.

"Nope." Geordi replied.

"I won't be coming back then." Reg replied flatly.

"So that's your master plan? Drink yourself to death?" Geordi asked. "I thought you were better than that. I thought you were stronger than that."

"Did you read the autopsy report? Data's report of the evidence?" Reg asked. "She fought Geordi. There were three of them, they stripped her, poured booze down her throat and they held her under the water. She had the pattern of the bastards boot print bruised on her throat. It didn't show till the next day. She hated water. She must have been terrified…."

"We have a lot of new allies thanks to her. Everyone at that conference apart from the Corvas joined us. Even the Destri and the Dorna turned on them and cut ties with the Syndicate. Her legacy…"

"Her legacy should have been the baby we were having." Reg said coldly. "Our little son. She said it was a boy, she was right."

"When did you last eat anything?"

"I think I had some beer nuts at the pub the other night when I caught up with Dad." Reg mused. "Don't lecture me Geordi, just…leave me be."

"She adored you. Do you think she'd want you to pine away?" Geordi asked.

"I…I…" he stopped not knowing what to say. "She wouldn't want Laika to pine away either but nothing I do seems to make a difference. I've let her down." he sobbed. "I can't even get her damn pet to eat." he dropped his head into his hands. "Just, go. Leave me alone?" he pleaded.

"Not until you eat something." Geordi argued. "I wish Deanna was here." he muttered as he headed to the replicator.

"Get out." Reg said coldly. "I mean it, get out now!"

"Why, what did I say?"

"You know how I felt about Deanna, just because she didn't feel the same way doesn't mean it didn't hurt when she died and reminding me of that doesn't make how I feel about…." he choked up and started to cry. "We were going to be a family…and get away from this stupid, pointless war." he stated with despair.

"Oh God Reg, I'm sorry." Geordi exclaimed, he had no idea Deanna was dead in this timeline. "I just meant Deanna would know what to say. She always knew what to say." he added sadly.

Reg grasped his arm, symbolically hugging himself and sniffed. "I know you mean well, everyone means well but I really just want to be left alone. I'll eat something, maybe some soup later."

"Okay." Geordi agreed. "You know where I am if you want to talk or anything." Reg nodded and saw his friend to the door.

He shambled back to the kitchen and headed for the replicator. "I've got a delicious treat for you girl." he said with all the enthusiasm he could muster as he sat at the dining room table and put the plate in the adjacent space. "Come on Laika." he called and patted the seat beside his. She whimpered and just looked at him. "Come on girl." he said and she dragged herself over half-heartedly and clambered onto the seat. "Steak, just how you like it." She sniffed it and licked Reg's face. "No thank you Sweetie, it's a little rare for my taste." he smirked. "Just try it? Please?" he begged then sighed deeply. "I know, I miss her too." He petted the she-wolf affectionately. "But she wouldn't want you to starve." He lifted the plate up to her nose. "It's sirloin, King Henry the 8th knighted it just for you." He looked at her hopefully then dropped the plate on the table.

He got up and walked back to the replicator and returned with a steak for himself, medium rare this time with pepper sauce, vegetables and potatoes. "Okay, we'll force ourselves to eat together. Deal?" he asked as he cut a piece of steak. He looked at it on his fork and sighed. He put it in his mouth and began to chew, then suddenly spat it out onto the plate. "Christ that's disgusting!" he pulled a face and drained his scotch. As he put his tumbler down Laika swept her tongue around it. "Don't you start drinking. That's all I need, an alcoholic wolf." He picked up the plates. "I'm going to strip down that replicator and then we'll try again." he advised Laika. He knew it wasn't the replicator though, other people had brought her food every time they found her on Taryn's grave. She wouldn't eat a morsel and to him nothing had tasted right since the day Taryn died. It was like she took the flavour of the universe with her along with all the joy.

…

Lural grabbed the man slumped over the table by the shoulder and pulled him back in his seat. He stared blankly at the ceiling, his throat cut. " _This is him_." Lural stated in Kolari as he held a scanner to the corpse. " _Udin_ _the Bold_." he snorted.

" _Not so bold now Rhadaman Anthus."_ the Captain of the Guard commented and grabbed the man's leg. He cursed in Kolari as he recognised the pattern on the sole of the man's shoe.

Lural scowled. " _I wanted this one alive. He dared to grind our sweet_ Tahedri _under his boot like an insect. This death was far too good for him._ "

" _Syndicate scum. They rob us of our blood-kin and they rob us of the opportunity to avenge her!_ " The Guardsman spat in the corpse's face and kicked his chest angrily, sending the body sprawling over the floor.

Lural grabbed his kinsman's muscular arm. " _This man is a_ j'hordak. _A bottom feeding slug. They killed him because they knew the_ F'deraxt'la _had his DNA on file_ _and we would find him. It is the one who ordered her death that we must find Cousin. Their spirit will feel the icy breath of the Mother Goddess for killing a female with-child and they will feel the ice of our steel at their throat."_ Lural assured him.

" _My Prince?"_ One of the guards handed Lural a padd he had found.

" _Good, good work._ " Lural thanked the man with a slap on the arm and a feral grin. " _In their rush to clean house they left their travel itinerary._ _Ready the ship. We are going to Garasant."_

 _…_

 _"_ _You know this isn't real don't you?" Taryn asked as she snuggled into his shoulder in bed. "You're dreaming."_

 _Reg sighed, his complicated, logical brain wouldn't even allow him to believe she was still with him in his dreams. "I know. Just let me pretend okay? Just for a minute." He buried his face in her hair as he held her tight._

 _"_ _You'll be sad when you wake up if you think this is real." she whispered as she caressed his chest idly with her finger._

 _"_ _I'll be sad anyway." he replied and kissed her temple. "Do you think they'll let me into the Orion afterlife? Will I qualify? Do Orion's even have an afterlife?"_

 _She giggled. "The Dark Place. If they don't let you in I'm not going. Besides, I'm waiting for you, the baby is too, he's a sweet little soul. Wherever we go we'll go together. I've always liked the sound of the Summerland."_

 _"_ _Summerland. Is that an Orion thing?" he frowned._

 _"_ _No it's not Orion, it's Wiccan from Earth. It's what my Miffy believes, she used to tell me about it when I was tiny. When you die you go there to be reunited with all your loved ones before you get reincarnated. Maybe could be together in our next lives?"_

 _"_ _I like that idea too. I'm sure I'd keep looking until I found you, even if I wasn't aware of it consciously." He sighed. "I know this is a dream, but where did this come from? I don't know anything about pagan or neopagan theology?" he frowned. "Your grandmother is Wiccan? I thought she was Jewish from the pendant she wore at our wedding?"_

 _Taryn nuzzled his neck and giggled. "The Star of David has six points not five you big prat. She wears a pentacle."_

 _"_ _So she's some kind of Devil worshiper?"_

 _"_ _Wiccan's don't believe in Satan. For them the antithesis of a male god is a female one. Not an evil counterpart of a supreme being from a different faith." Taryn explained. "She believes in living at one with nature, taking personal responsibility for your actions and three-fold return. You give to get. Then there's the Triple Goddess, the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. She embodies feminine energy, she's like the phases of the moon. It's quite similar to Kolari theology. There's a Mother Goddess in our mythos. She's often thought to be similar to Earth's Mother Nature but she's actually closer to the neopagan Triple Goddess." she stated. "Grandad taught Folkloristics and Theology at Cambridge."_

 _"_ _Oh." He paused to think for a moment. "You're not in limbo are you? Trapped like some lost tormented soul?" he asked with concern._

 _"_ _No, I know where to go and the way is open. I'm just not moving on until you join me. Like a waiting room. I'm not alone. There are others here waiting too."_

 _"_ _Anyone I know?" he asked as he turned and relished the sensation of her body against his._

 _"_ _There's someone here that's pleased you befriended their son."_

 _"_ _What? What are you talking about?"_

 _"_ _Her name is_ _K'Ehleyr."_

 _"_ _I don't know anyone called that." he replied with a scowl._

 _"_ _Well, she knows you and she says the expression on Worf's face was a picture when he saw those floozies you added to her son's program." Taryn giggled. "She found that most amusing."_

 _"_ _What? Oh you mean Alexander Rozhenko's mother." he realized. "I didn't know that was her name."_

 _"_ _She's worried about him. She says he's caught up in Klingon nonsense. That's why she waits. She wants to protect him."_

 _"_ _He was only tiny when she died. I never knew her but Alexander mentioned her a few times. She meant a lot to him. It was a shock when I heard he joined the Klingon Defense Force, the last thing he seemed to want was to be a Klingon Warrior." He looked at Taryn earnestly. "Seriously, I'd never have made that connection. I was expecting you to talk about my Nanna and Grandpa."_

 _"_ _They aren't here. They must still be alive." she whispered._

 _"_ _They can't be. Their ship was lost when I was a…a… I was a kid."_

 _"_ _There's lost and there's lost." she stated profoundly. "You look rough as old arseholes Reg. You need to take better care of yourself." she stroked his cheek tenderly._

 _"_ _I know." he conceded and took her hand, kissing her palm._

 _"_ _There's no rush for you to join me. I'll wait forever if I have to. You could even meet someone else. Have the family you hoped for… I won't mind as long as you're happy. I want you to be happy."_

 _He shook his head. "It wouldn't be the family I hoped for without you."_

 _"_ _You need to answer that." she whispered looking distracted. "It's important."_

 _"_ _What is?" he asked with a frown._

He woke with a start at the sound of a message on the terminal. He'd either fallen asleep or passed out drunk, the two were interchangeable these days. His face was pressed against the panel on his desk which flashed that there was a missed call. A sob emerged from his throat as his head began to clear and the aching sense of loss hit him. He rapidly looked up what he could remember from the dream with tears in his eyes. The Dark Place, The Summerland, all real references to the afterlife and in context. The issue was he was fairly certain he'd never heard them before and he chewed his knuckle as he thought about it. Every time he dreamed about her it always seemed so real. It was almost as though their mating bond worked from beyond the veil and she was actually visiting him. He opened the communique and swore before jumping from his seat. Laika must have got out again and was back at the cemetery. They'd been trying to get in touch with him for the last two hours. He grabbed his jacket and froze as he stepped into the hall.

The glass in the apartment door was smashed. To his amazement and relief there was only a small amount of blood in the debris outside. How exactly she hadn't woken him when she did this he had no idea. Although he had slept with his face against a beeping, flashing terminal and that hadn't roused him. He carefully stepped over the broken glass and went in search of his wayward animal.

…

"Nareev? _"_ Lural asked as his brother scowled over the witness statement along with the other evidence. The Tahedri cursed and threw the document across the room angrily. He unleashed a tirade of idiomatic Kolari as he stood and began to pace.

"We know who ordered her death and there is nothing we can do. They are beyond our reach!" Nareev punched a hole in the door before turning and pacing again. "She lies in her grave unavenged, her boy-child unavenged, her mate bereft and we must stand by like impotent fools!"

"Wait. Lural, you're the lawyer. Am I reading this precedent right?" Gantrix, formerly a Caitian Envoy and newly declared Consort of Barin asked. He pointed to the page in the tome like book of Kolari laws with his tan furred, clawed finger, a translation device in his other hand. Lural's eyes widened as he read over the Caitian's shoulder.

"Yes, that's it." Lural grabbed the book. "We can't convict him, but we can call him to trial."

"What would be the point of that? Dragging him all the way here for a trial just to let him go?" Nareev bellowed then paused, a sly grin spreading over his handsome face. "Look up the Right of Uks'mak'hari? I want to check something."

…

"I'm sorry, we found her like this when we unlocked the gates." the gardener at the cemetery told him.

"She smashed the door to get out, she must have known… She must have felt it was her time." Reg whispered as he looked at Laika lying dead on her mistresses grave. He swallowed to clear the lump from his throat. "I'll call someone to get her moved…" He looked at the gravestone. It didn't read 'Taryn the Just, the Eloquent and the Liberator.' as the empty tomb on Barin Prime did. Nor did it read a list of her many accomplishments. It read 'Taryn Boudicca Barclay beloved wife' and a smaller inscription stating 'Reginald Endicott Barclay IV dearest unborn son.' She had told him she wanted to name their son after him but he had balked at the idea of course. He felt the very least he could do was grant her wish even if it was only an empty gesture on her headstone. She was only three weeks pregnant but Beverly had assured him the foetus was untouched by the autopsy and remained within her body. She had merely determined the baby had a Y chromosome as Reg had wanted to know.

"I think we should ask for permission to bury her here." The manager who was standing with them told him. "A lot of people were touched by the way she kept coming back. Like Greyfriars Bobby."

"Thank you." Reg whispered. "My wife hand reared her, they were inseparable. It would have meant a lot to her to have Laika nearby."

…

"And that is the evidence." Lural stated as he paced around the chair where the accused sat. "Myata the Inviolate…"

"You dare use my given name boy-child?" The Tahedri of the Caj Corvas spat.

"Myata the Inviolate," Lural repeated leering into the man's face, "Mighty patriarch of the Caj Corvas gave the order and our beloved Tahedri, Taryn the Just, the Eloquent, the Liberator was stripped like an off-world whore, forced to swallow cheap Kolari rum and held under water until she and her unborn boy-child breathed no more."

The sound of plaintive wailing echoed into the courtroom from the square outside. The show trial was being broadcast planet wide and beyond. Most of the Greater and Central Kolari Empire were interested in the proceedings and Taryn's pregnancy was, until know, withheld from the public. Emotions were running high, as they always did in their society. The crowd outside bayed, condemning Corvas, cursing him in the name of the Mother Goddess and calling for vengeance.

Nareev shifted in his throne, beside him sat Gantrix his mate. His eyes met Elona's across the room, his brother's mate who was clearly relieved not to have married into the Corvaskar, meaning House of Corvas in their tongue. Her family, the Trunac were powerful and influential and the Caj Barin had yet to form blood ties with them. It was a good match politically and more than that, the pair were passionately in love, something that counted even in the rarefied air of high-born Kolari aristocracy.

"And what of it?" Corvas hissed. "My word is law. I ordered the death of a F'deraxt'la half-breed and ridded the empire of her mongrel pup to the bargain. It was a pity her F'deraxt'la lover wasn't there too, she should have watched them cut his throat and then drowned her in his filthy Human blood. That little blood traitor dared to speak out against the Syndicate, to do so means death." The man grinned. "You have no jurisdiction over me, no recourse in law and this is nothing but an empty show trial."

"You are right." Nareev stated. "This is but a hearing to ascertain the truth. We have no right to pass judgement over you." His eyes met Lural's briefly. "You're free to go Corvas." Nareev stood and walked towards the door behind the throne. The Barinkar, his blood kin filed past him as he paused, followed by the Palace Guard. "The Spaceport is that way, your ship is waiting." Nareev pointed towards the large doors to the courtyard.

"But my guard?" Corvas asked.

"Yes, it is unfortunate that under Kolari statutes your guard aren't allowed to enter our city." Nareev added rubbing his chin. "Oh well." He sighed and turned to leave.

"The crowd… you must protect me." Corvas demanded. "It's your duty. The Right of Uks'mak'hari _._ I have the right to your protection as a visiting Tahedri _._ "

"Actually, I have no such remit. It turns out that convention is a courtesy and was never written into imperial law. The law is fascinating don't you think?" Nareev smirked. "You may wish to name your successor, my people are currently a little testy and you know how heated a crowd involving Green Kolari can get." Nareev looked up as a thick silk sash was lowered beside him. He wound his hand in the cloth and was pulled up to the gallery. He crossed the rail lithely, joining his blood kin, his face impassive as he watched Corvas look around the courtroom with fear in his eyes. The upper level was filled with the royal household. Not just the Barinkar but the guards and all the staff. They stared down at him, their eyes filled with hate and accusation.

Corvas eyes widened as the great doors opened. Beyond were a sea of angry faces, male, female and indeterminate in green, ruddy and grey as well as Muni, a representative sample of almost all species of humanoid life from the Alpha and Beta Quadrant. They began to run towards him, howling for vengeance for their fallen queen.

"I name my second son Endar as my worthy success…." Corvas blurted as the crowd swallowed him, tearing at him with their bare hands as they dragged him into the courtyard and beyond.

"Blessings of the Mother Goddess to you Endar, son of the Corvaskar. May your reign as Tahedri be a long and fruitful one. We shall return what's left of your father with his ship. We prefer not to have that kind of filth soiling our streets." Nareev intoned over the clamour of the crowd. "Tell your Syndicate and Dominion friends that we, the Caj Barin are truly inviolate today and in perpetuity. Unbroken and unyeiding, unlike your worthless, traitorous Myata. May he rot in the Nine Hells for the death of our Little Flower and her unborn, for this day we have avenged them." he stated and signalled to end the broadcast.

…

Someone was banging frantically on Data's door.

"Geordi. Come in." he offered. The Enterprise senior team had been assigned quarters in San Francisco while they were waiting for the Enterprise F to be commissioned. "Did you hear about what happened on Barin Prime?"

"Yes but…Reg's Dad called because he couldn't find him anywhere. His old combadge was picked up at the shuttle depot. He stole a shuttle from the repair line. I'm worried he went to the E, I'm worried he's going to do something stupid." Geordi explained desperately.

"Why would he go to the Enterprise E?" Data asked.

"Because he met Taryn there. It's a hunch Data, I can't really explain it." Geordi stated.

Data nodded and tapped his combadge. "Commander Data to Transporter Control, request emergency transport to the San Francisco Fleet Yard."

"What are you looking for?" the supervisor in the control room of the orbital shipyard asked.

"One of our former officers, he is bereaved." Data explained as they scanned for life signs.

"There he is." Geordi pointed.

"He is in the port forward airlock." Data stated. "Can you override and seal the outer door from here?"

"I'm trying, the interlink is down." the officer stated with a frown.

"Barclay you are too clever by half." Geordi muttered knowing exactly who was responsible for the fault. "Can you beam him out?"

"I'm trying, there's some sort of scattering field in the area." the man told them.

"Beam us as close as you can to his location." Data ordered.

…

Reg grasped his wrist as he flexed it and drew a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. It felt strange to be back in uniform, but he needed to be to gain access to the ship. He'd showered and shaved, it almost felt like a ritual. He was preparing himself for his final journey. She may well be happy to wait an eternity for him, but he couldn't and wouldn't wait that long to be with her. He reached out and opened the airlock doors, the force field still active.

" _La Forge to Barclay."_ Geordi's voice came over his combadge. " _Turn around Reg_." He turned and saw his friend's face at the window of the airlock door. " _That's it. Now come on over here and open this door and we'll talk about this_."

Reg shook his head sadly and turned back to the open hatch. "There's nothing to say."

" _Your Dad called, he told me about Laika. I know you feel you failed Taryn but you didn't. The only way you'll fail her is by giving up like this. Reg?"_

"They threw him to the mob." Barclay whispered. "She'd never have wanted that."

 _"_ _You're right, she wouldn't. But she would understand why they did it."_ Geordi stated. _"Their need to avenge her, it's…it's…it's what defines them as a people."_ he reasoned.

" _They had no other option under Kolari imperial law. As Tahedri, Myata Corvas' instruction to kill her was law. As Tahedri he could not be convicted or punished. As Tahedri Nareev could not order the death of a fellow Tahedrin."_ Data explained. " _Nor could he kill him himself, although that was his right as her kinsman_."

"But Corvas ordered her death, she was a Tahedri. There must have been some way to…" Reg argued. "Some humane punishment surely? Not ripped to pieces by a…a lynch mob?"

" _It is a loophole in their legal system. Nareev could have used the same legal deception to get away with murdering Corvas but that would have led to a blood feud that would potentially destroy both Caju. This way vengeance was seen to be done. The Caj Barin are satisfied in terms of Orion chivalry within their law and the Caj Corvas have no legal recourse. The man who ordered her death is dead. The three men who carried out his orders are dead. They turned on the one who drowned her themselves and the others were publicly executed by chuulak."_

"That's not much better than what they did to Corvas. It's barbaric." Reg stated, fidgeting with her wedding ring that he held in his hands. It was looped onto a cord which he placed around his neck and tucked inside the collar of his uniform.

" _By our standards maybe_." Geordi told him. " _If I were in your place I'm not sure I could find the compassion for them you have_."

"It's not compassion. She'd have wanted justice, not revenge. She would have found another way. She'd have bided her time, for years if she had to." Reg replied softly.

" _Her cousins told Captain Picard that as much as their blood burned with their need to avenge her, their people yearned for it even more so._ _The populace of Barin Prime were calling for the deaths of all of the Caj Corvas. They were ready to start a feud at whatever the cost._ " Data stated as he worked on the door mechanism. " _They needed closure and to feel she is at rest. Their culture is such that the deaths of those responsible is the only way to salve their sense of loss and move on._ "

"Closure." Reg whispered and gazed plaintively at the force-field controls with his dark eyes. As though he hoped it would provide him with answers or impetus. "That's what I need too." He stepped closer to the panel. If he didn't act before Data opened the door they would either restrain him or they would all be taking a spacewalk. Data would survive of course but Geordi? By the time they both floated clear of the transporter scattering field he'd set up it would likely be too late for Geordi. He didn't want that. "Bury me with her. Tell my Dad I love him."

 _"_ _Listen to me, you don't have to do this…Reg look at me, just turn around and look at me. That's… that's good, now Data's trying to open this door. We're getting you out and we'll get you through this, just…NO REG DON'T!"_ Geordi screamed as Reg looked at him apologetically and reached out his hand. He dropped the force field and was instantly blown into the void.

Geordi dropped to a crouch and wept, falling to the floor as while Data attempted to lock on to Barclay with the Enterprise transporters via a nearby terminal, also calling the Fleet Yard to do the same.

"Fleet Yard Medical Centre. Do you have him?" Data asked and waited for a reply.

" _We got him but…he was out there too long. I'm sorry_." the doctor reported.

"I'm sorry too." a deep voice came from the shadows of the empty ship. "I know how he felt, losing his wife, but my son survived and I had to live for him. He was robbed of too much, more than he could cope with."

"You are Captain Sisko." Data stated with a frown.

"I'm here as the Emissary of the Prophets." Sisko replied and stepped into view, still in his uniform. "But yes, I'm Ben Sisko."

"Can you tell us what the hell the point of all this is sir?" Geordi wailed, sitting on the floor. "Is this going to be how it is for the rest of our lives? Stuck in this never-ending loop of…"

"I know how hard this has been. The Prophets have been with you each and every step of the way." Sisko intoned.

"I do not feel as comforted by that comment as I believe you intended." Data stated.

"I can understand that." Sisko smiled wryly. "But rest assured the words do not exist to stop this Barclay ending his life. He was set on that course the moment a Syndicate operative held Taryn Prior under the water with his foot on her throat."

"Yeah, well, sooner or later the Prophets will abandon us just like Andrews has." Geordi said coldly.

"The Prophets are eternal and they will never abandon you. I assure you of that." Sisko began to pace. "I can speak more plainly than the Oracle they sent. Andrews is inept and that is the kindest thing I can say about him. He is behaving like a spoilt child because, as he sees it you didn't follow his instructions to the letter. The Prophets have watched you struggle against the insurmountable with only the most vague of guidance and are immeasurably proud at what you have accomplished."

"What have we accomplished?" Geordi asked angrily. "Each time we try to put things right everything just gets worse."

"Sometimes it really is always darkest before the dawn." Sisko assured him. "The best thing Andrews did was select the two of you. You of all people have the resolve and skills to prevail. Where he went wrong was insisting that you, along with Guinan, shoulder that burden alone."

"Are you saying we must break the Temporal Prime Directive?" Data asked.

"I'm saying you should bend it a little. In every reality you have been surrounded by officers who are highly skilled. You trust them with your lives, you need to trust them with what you know." Sisko advised. "Follow your instincts. Do your research, it is after all where your strength lies Data. Your strength lies with your ability to reach people Geordi. That's what makes you an indomitable team but you need the qualities of others…"

"Reg's imagination? Taryn's spirit?" Geordi suggested. "They've been the constants since we went through the looking glass."

"Exactly." Sisko stated. "Others have their own strengths to add to yours. Guinan's stability. Beverly's compassion… Use the assets you have. Andrews told you to play the cards you're dealt and he was right in that respect. That is exactly what you must do but your crew are the cards."

"So how do we get back to the nineteenth century?" Geordi asked. "And where do we go this time?"

"You can leave that to the Prophets." Sisko smiled and walked over to the weapons locker. "What do you know? My access code still works." he grinned as he opened it and tossed each of them a phaser, grabbing one for himself. "Ready?" he asked.

"Wait, you're coming with us sir?" Geordi asked incredulously.

"I feel like stretching my legs and nineteenth century London is as good a place as any." Sisko reasoned as they were absorbed in a green light.

…

She watched as her daughter rapidly turned the dolly in the tub, washing the laundry in the yard. The girl paused to wipe the sweat from her eyes and returned her hands to the handles, one hand up, the other down and she twisted the stool like wooden dolly to agitate the wash. "You alright Katie?" she asked.

"Yes Ma." The girl replied with a smile, her face flushed, but not nearly as flushed as it had been a week ago. She'd had the fever and they'd come close to losing her, closer than she was willing to admit.

"Come and help me feed these through the mangle?" she suggested. It was still work but it would let the girl have a breather for a few minutes. Katie was a hard worker, and proud, only ten but she'd never admit she needed a rest while there was work to be done. "Ready Annie? Peter?" The younger children turned the handle while they kept the folded sheets straight, the large rollers squeezing the water from the fabric.

The two younger children screamed as the lizard-like man shimmered into view. Katie grabbed her siblings and towed them towards the back door by the scruff of their clothing. Their mother grabbed a box of laundry soap and threw some in the alien's eyes. He howled and loomed over her, raising a knife as others unshrouded around him. Defensively she raised her hands to protect her face as the being moved to strike.

He howled again as a slender golden hand grasped his wrist and dropped to his knees, the knife falling from his grasp. Unfamiliar sounds filled the small yard as two dark-skinned men sent streams of orange lightning towards the inhuman creatures who fell inert.

"What do you know about the being who is advising your crew?" Data asked the Jem'Hadar who wriggled in his grasp, trying to pry Data's hand loose from his wrist.

"I will not betray the Dark Master." the being hissed.

"Did he tell you that was his appellation or is that something you ascribed to him?" Data twisted his wrist further. "Do you have a birthing chamber aboard your ship? Are you able to increase your numbers?"

"I am Shanith'ricaan, and I am dead. As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This, we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar." he chanted. "Remember – victory is life!" he declared. Sisko nodded to Data and he grasped the back of the warrior's neck. There was an audible pop and he fell dead.

"Are you alright Ma'am?" Sisko asked the woman, helping her to her feet. "Miss?" he turned to Katie who was cowering by their back door, shielding the younger children with her body. Peter, who looked no older than three or four was sobbing, he'd skinned his knee in the scramble to get away but otherwise they appeared unharmed. The mother nodded, looking stunned.

"Sorry, that'll need washing again." Geordi added as he realized he was standing on the damp sheet they had just mangled.

"That's…thank you." the woman said softly but earnestly. "Who were they?" she said, looking at the alien bodies.

"They're no danger to you now." Sisko assured her. "I'll stay and clean up here. You two have more work to do." he told Data and Geordi with a grin. "Good luck gentlemen."

There was a flash of green light and Data turned to face Geordi, they were in the Captain's Ready Room. Data blinked.

"What the…" Geordi looked around confused. "What just happened?"

"We appear to be on the Enterprise." Data checked the terminal. "It is twenty-one minutes, thirty-two seconds after the hyper-subspace transport test."

"Yes, but this is the Enterprise D." Geordi said as he examined the fish that lived in the wall. He turned back to Data. "Captain Data." he grinned.

"You are also a full Commander again." Data stated and froze as he caught sight of something unfamiliar on his left hand. "I appear to be married." He looked wide eyed at Geordi and showed him his wedding ring. "To Jessica?" he suggested.

"I don't know Data," Geordi held up his own left hand to show his ring, "I'm just hoping it isn't to me."

 _Author's Note:_

 _As always all comments are welcome._

 _If you haven't heard of the story of Greyfriars Bobby it's well worth a google._

 _Yes, loin steak was knighted by Henry the 8th and that's why it is called Sir Loin (sirloin)._


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"So what do we do?" Geordi asked.

"Personnel files are unavailable." Data stated as he worked at the terminal.

"We're in Spacedock again. Utopia Planitia this time." Geordi said as he looked out of the window. "They're probably working on the computer core."

"The Historical Database is online. I will endeavor to ascertain what else is different about this timeline." Data looked up at Geordi. "Until we know more I suggest we carry on as normal, but be on the look-out for things that may have changed."

"Okay. I'll be in Engineering if you need me."

Geordi clapped his hands and rubbed them together as he strode into Main Engineering. "Okay people, status report." he ordered. His team all looked at him with puzzled frowns.

"Sir?" Barclay asked as he peered around a console. "C…can I help you Commander?"

"I hope so Mr Barclay, if we plan to leave Spacedock on schedule." Geordi replied.

Reg frowned. "We're currently ahead of schedule sir, I sent a report to your office earlier today."

"My office?" Geordi asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yes sir, your office at the Fleet Yard?"

"The Fleet…oh I haven't been in the office today." Geordi covered, "I just wanted to see how things were going, you know, down here."

"They're going fine sir, I'll get you a copy of my report…" he indicated the Chief Engineers cubby hole over his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll catch up with it Reg. You're doing a great job." Geordi told him as he turned to leave.

"Thank you sir." Reg replied as Geordi left Engineering.

…

"Are you ready?" Taryn asked as she entered the Ready Room then frowned, "You look worried. Something you want to talk about?"

"It…would not be appropriate. Not yet." Data added as he looked up from his research comparing what he knew with what was in the historical files. He really wanted a better idea of the lay of the land before he dropped the bombshell he was a different man. He noticed the pips on her mustard coloured collar marked her as a Lieutenant and she also had a ring on her finger.

"I see." She walked around behind him and placed her arms around his shoulders. "You left early this morning, I missed you." She kissed his neck softly. Data's eyes widened in shock and he pulled away in alarm and vaulted over the desk. "Whatever's the matter?" she asked plaintively.

"But, we are married." he stated keeping her equidistant as they revolved around the desk. "What about Commander Barclay?"

"Yes, we're married. What does Reg have to do with it?" she asked with a puzzled frown. "Are you having a fling?" she teased. "Please tell me it's with Reg?" she joked.

"No, you are married to him and…" he noticed she was laughing.

"I'm sure Counsellor Troi would have something to say about that." she giggled then froze. "Okay, I think maybe I should get you to the lab and check you out. I think your engrams are scrambled Sweetie." She looked at him with a concerned expression.

"My engrams are functioning perfectly." Data stated matter of factly. "Why would your marriage to Commander Barclay involve Counsellor Troi? Are you experiencing marital disharmony?" he asked with concern.

"Not until today." she muttered dryly and rolled her eyes. "I think the crew would notice if Reg was a bigamist. He's married to Troi, has been for over a decade now." Taryn stated and grabbed the tricorder that was on his desk. "We had a devil of a job finding something in lace that wasn't naff for their anniversary gift. Don't you remember?" She stepped forward and scanned him.

"What about Captain Riker?" Data asked.

"Who?" her eyes widened. "Oh, do you mean her ex that died horribly on the Potemkin? I thought he was a Lieutenant?" she frowned.

"You said we are married." Data looked at her earnestly as she nodded. "You meant to each other." he stated with his eyes wide. "We are married?" He motioned between the two of them with his finger and turned away looking confused and stunned.

"Data, you're scaring me," she turned him by the shoulders to face her. "Is this an attempt at a practical joke? Because it isn't funny and we're due in Sickbay..."

"You had better sit down." Data stated. "I have something to tell you that will not be easy to explain."

…

Geordi back-tracked to the Captain's Ready Room on the Bridge, passing Taryn sat at the Ops station with a stunned expression on her face. "Okay, I'm not talking to anyone until I've worked out what the hell is going on." He exclaimed. "I don't even work here. I just made a complete dick of myself in Engineering. Barclay's in charge down there."

Data turned. "This future is…surprising." Data stated. "Everything has changed again. The Dominion War is still in progress, Bajor has fallen..."

"So are you married to Jessica like you thought?" he asked Data.

"No, Jessica is either dead or a Borg drone. The facility at Galor IV was assimilated" Data looked away with a yellow tear in his eye.

"All of them?" Geordi asked incredulously. "Wait, the Ferengi Ship, Galatea…"

"They found the ship, an Orion half-breed girl was found dead on board." Data swallowed. "Clearly the Borg found her too…imperfect for a maturation chamber."

"Oh God…" Geordi paled. "So Barclay's your Chief Engineer, and Taryn is at Ops. They're both wearing wedding rings so at least that worked out." Data shook his head.

"It appears Barclay embarked upon a romantic relationship with Counsellor Troi shortly after the incident with the Cytherian probe. They recently celebrated their thirteenth wedding anniversary." Data explained.

"So when he met Taryn on the Bastion he was already married?" Geordi asked incredulously. "To Deanna?" He paused. "Holy crap!"

"They met here. Taryn did not serve at Galor IV. She transferred here from the Faraday. Bastion does not exist, she never created him." Data explained. "They relaxed the minimum age of entry for the Academy for intellectually advanced children due to the war providing they are eighteen by their graduation. She never studied at Daystrom or got her second master's degree in Psychosocial Science and never worked in cybernetics although it remained an interest and she helps maintain my systems. She has been an Ops Officer since she graduated from the Academy ten years ago."

"Wait, if Reg is here and married to Deanna, did he get seconded to Jupiter Station? Did he transfer to the Comms Research Centre?"

"He did neither of those things. Voyager is still lost and Dr Zimmerman dead."

"What the hell went wrong?" Geordi asked. "How can things still be so bad after everything we've done?"

"Commander Riker." Data stated and his fingers flicked over the terminal. "He has not been present in any of the timelines. He died in the transporter accident at Nervala IV."

"What about Thomas Riker? The duplicate. Did he survive?" Data turned the screen to show him. "Jesus Christ Data! Warn me if you're gonna show me shit like that." he blanched and gagged, then went to get some water from the replicator.

Guinan burst in. "I need to speak with you Captain." she stated. "Something is very wrong."

"We know." Data stated. "We remember the other timelines." Data turned the screen back to face him.

"Oh." Guinan stated, surprised she wouldn't have to convince him.

Data returned his gaze to the hideously twisted conjoined twins with their organs externalized that survived screaming for a horrific six minutes thirty-eight seconds after materializing on the transporter pad. "Will Riker never joined the Enterprise. Paul Rice was the First Officer. He selected a different away team for the mission to Vagra II and incident with Armus was resolved with the death of an officer whose name I do not recognize in place of Tasha Yar. Commander Rice led the mission to rescue Captain Picard from the Borg with Tasha instead of myself and Worf and they failed, they were assimilated and Jean-Luc Picard is still Locutus. Commander Shelby took command and was later killed in a subsequent incident with the Borg and I became Captain. Starfleet suffered massive losses to the Borg and had little left to defend against the Dominion. Deanna Troi did not have unresolved feelings for a fellow crewmate and married Barclay."

"So it all unraveled like a badly knitted sweater." Guinan stated. "Riker was the lynchpin."

"Could it be as simple as them killing the ancestor of the transporter operator on the Potemkin?" Geordi suggested.

"We need to go back and succeed this time." Data stated. "Prevent the death of William and Elizabeth Matthews and destroy that ship."

"How? We got there using technology Barclay never developed and the event has been locked. Not to mention the damn torpedoes they have." Geordi stated. "And I still don't know who I'm married to."

"Leah Brahms." Guinan stated. "You transferred to Utopia Planitia just after her divorce."

Geordi grinned involuntarily. "Okay so who are you married to?"

"I am married to Taryn." Data said softly and guiltily.

"You're kidding?" Geordi blurted.

Data nodded. "I just told her I am from a different timeline and I am not the person she married."

"Someone needs to talk to her." Guinan stated worriedly. "She shouldn't be sat at her station that's for sure. Even if we are in Spacedock."

"Why?" Data asked innocently.

…

"Well, are congratulations in order?" Barclay asked with a smile as Taryn entered Engineering.

"Don't." Taryn said looking choked. "Do you need a hand down here?" she asked sadly.

"Not really but I'll find you something if you feel like getting your hands dirty." Reg replied and replaced the panel he was working behind. "What happened? I thought it was all over bar the shouting."

"So did I." she sobbed, bursting into tears.

"Come on, you can help me up top, it's quiet up there." he whispered, grabbed his tool kit and led her gently by the elbow.

Barclay looked stunned as they both sat on the upper level with their legs dangling above the warp core, their arms resting on the lower safety rail. "So we're married…to each other?" he asked.

"Apparently. Ludicrous isn't it?" Taryn stated, then noticed his hurt expression. "Oh I don't mean you're an unfuckable troll. I mean you're like family to me, you know that." she explained, but it didn't seem to improve his demeanor. "I was so tempted to go through with it without him, but I thought I should wait until things feel a bit less…raw. It seemed wrong making a baby out of spite. Dr Crusher is keeping her in stasis until I decide what to do."

"Do we have children in the other timeline?" Reg asked.

She nodded. "Three. An adopted daughter and twins. A girl and a boy." she whispered.

"So we have a daughter out there somewhere?" Reg stated. Taryn burst into tears.

"I asked that. He looked her up, she's dead." Taryn wept. "I don't even know her and I'm mourning her."

"You've been pumped full of hormones ready to have your cloned embryo implanted. You're not exactly on top form right now." he said and stroked her back to comfort her, letting his hand linger as his dark eyes met her tearful green ones that gazed at him forlornly. "I was looking forward to meeting another little you. You'll make an amazing Mom." he whispered and turned away. Resting his forehead on the upper rail. "Are they green?" he asked.

"Sorry?" she replied and blew her nose.

"The twins, are they green?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"He didn't say." she whispered. "He told me they have your eyes and my smile. I should go. I need to find new quarters."

"He threw you out?" Reg asked incredulously.

"No, but I can't stay there. My husband just told me he's in love with someone else and they're dead in this timeline. I can't compete with that and…he just isn't my Data." she added in a whisper and began to stand.

"Take care." he told her earnestly as he looked up at her.

"You too." she replied sincerely and headed for the elevator.

Reg sighed, closed his eyes and rested his head against the rail. This was simply unbearable. He longed for children, yearned for them but Deanna rejected the idea out of hand just as she had refused to take his name. She said she couldn't bear the idea of losing another child as she had Ian and would never risk feeling that loss again by getting pregnant. He wiped his eyes, tears for a little girl meant to be his daughter that he would never meet. In another life he had a family and a wife who loved him, at least he hoped she did. Anything would be better than being constantly compared to Saint William T Riker, God amongst men despite the fact he left Deanna on Betazed and never even said goodbye when he shipped out. He knew exactly how Taryn felt about competing with a ghost.

It wasn't all Deanna's fault, she fell in love with the man the Cytherian probe turned him into, not the real him, he knew that deep down. Nor was it her fault that three years ago the object of his teenage fantasies appeared in mortal form and he ached for her with every particle of his being. Something his empathic wife was only too aware of, but long before the beguiling Lieutenant Prior transferred to the Enterprise their marriage took the form of an uneasy truce.

He loved her in the beginning, she was his Goddess of Empathy and he worshiped her but the reality of their life together was far from passionate. They soon settled into a comfortable, companionable partnership once he found that children were off the agenda and not even open for debate. They still cared for each other a great deal, of that he was certain but he wasn't happy and he was sure she wasn't either. He didn't even like to think about the mother-in-law he got as part of the deal. She mentioned grandchildren every time she hoved into view like a galleon under full sail and gave Reg a disdainful look as though his virility was clearly the problem. For a telepath she could certainly be selective over what she read in the minds of others. The fact she never picked up on the fact he couldn't remember the last time they'd had sex was also noteworthy. He expected Lwaxana blamed him for that too but it wasn't for want of trying, or asking, or begging and pleading for that matter although he'd even given up on that years ago. They still hadn't forgiven him for chickening out of the traditional Betazoid wedding they had meticulously planned. He'd uncharacteristically put his foot down, he took her back after her fling with Mr Perfect the leader of Moab IV the genetically engineered society, no way was he walking down the aisle in the nuddy. It was bad enough she still talked about Mr Oily the slimy negotiator, lay of the century and all round shit at that point. Devinoni Ral the closet empath. What an asshole. Deanna could really pick 'em.

He wondered idly what his wedding was like in the other timeline. Sweet, romantic, intimate and fully clothed was how he imagined it. With a wedding night that was beautiful and moving. Twins. They'd made twins with their love and he'd seen and felt them growing inside her and was raising them with her. He watched her walk past the large console in Main Engineering and made up his mind.

"Taryn, wait." he called as he stood and ran to the ladder and slid down it, then ran to join her at the door. "I…I mean…" he stammered then sighed. He took her arm and they stepped into the corridor out of sight of his team. "There's…I…" He looked down at her doleful green eyes that were still shining with tears. He'd visited a planet on his first tour with the Zhukov, there was a volcano long inactive filled with water that was deep and green, just like her eyes. Girls with eyes you felt you could drown in had always made him weak at the knees. Deanna's eyes were like dark mirrors, limpid and warm but she never seemed to look at him anymore. Taryn was a friend to him, probably his best friend and she was married to his captain. She had an innocence about her that belied her complexion and heritage and a warmth that touched all she met, apart from his suspicious wife. "I…" He swallowed. This could cost him her friendship, not to mention his career if the other Data returned. The one who doted on his wife and yearned to have a child with her so badly they turned to cloning and fertility treatment.

She touched his arm as he wrung his hands, trying to find the words. "It's okay. Take your time." she whispered. He sighed and gazed into her eyes, he hadn't stammered this badly in years and she was just standing there patiently while he gibbered like an inarticulate idiot in front of her.

"Is this reception tonight a d…dress uniform thing?" he asked. He silently accused himself of cowardice worthy of enough white feathers to stuff a mattress.

"Oh crap, I'd forgotten all about that." she blanched. "Yes, it's dress uniform, trust you to get nervous about it." She nudged him playfully with her elbow. "It's not a rectal exam you know?"

"Speak for yourself, you don't get to be the six foot wallflower at these things."

"Well, I'll be climbing the wall with you this time. No dancing for the Captain's estranged wife."

"I'll dance with you. As long as you wear tritanium toecaps you'll be fine." he joked.

"I'll hold you to that." She smiled as she turned and walked away.

…

"Taryn." Data said as he found her packing her things in the Captain's quarters. "I am so sorry, I did not know. I realize now how important today was for you…."

"It doesn't matter." she replied softly. "I'm sorting out separate quarters, I thought it would be for the best."

"Taryn please? In the other timeline we are friends, close friends. I would never intentionally hurt you." Data stated.

"I know that." She stopped packing and sat on the bed. "I know our relationship was unorthodox but I never doubted you cared and I still see that in your eyes." She sniffed. "A sexless marriage is one thing but I can't be in a loveless one and it's certainly not what you deserve."

"You are being extremely fair about all this…" Data stopped, "Sexless?" He accessed his sexual subroutine and felt panic, it was missing, as was most of his pelvic assembly. "What has happened to me?" he asked her desperately. "I am incomplete."

"You're exactly as you were made to be." Taryn replied with a frown.

"But, I am no longer fully functional." he stated with alarm.

"Fully fu…Oh!" her eyes widened. "Do you mean in the other timeline you're…better equipped?"

"I am…was programmed in multiple techniques, a broad variety of pleasuring." he told her with clear disappointment.

She looked stunned. "Well, I wouldn't want you to think we weren't intimate and didn't have a lot of fun, but obviously we never… We could get an annulment quite quickly, that's one advantage. Only Dr Crusher and I actually know what you keep in your underpants, or rather don't keep there. Along with Commander La Forge of course."

"We really planned to have a child together?" he asked her softly.

She nodded sadly. "Our options were limited of course. Dr Crusher took some cells a month ago and I started hormone treatment last week. We have a viable cloned zygote in stasis in Sickbay. I came to remind you we had an appointment for the implantation. I knew you couldn't forget, I thought you'd got cold feet about it." She laughed mirthlessly. "I had no idea things were so much worse than that."

"Did we consider making an artificial child?" he asked.

"Yes, but you…he was against it. He thought Starfleet would take an artificial child from us in the same way they took Lal from him."

"Lal did not die?" he asked plaintively. "She went into cascade failure when Admiral Haftel threatened to take her. We found a way to bring her back but that was only recently."

She shook her head. "They took her to the Daystrom Annex but she was lost when the Borg…"

"I am not in Lore's body." he stated with a frown. "This is my original emotion chip but it is different."

"Why would you be in Lore's body?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

"I was destroyed at the Battle of Bassen Rift saving Captain Picard." He suddenly realized his captain was not there for that to happen in this timeline. "Shortly before my death I copied my matrix to B-4 in an attempt to help him develop and you recovered it. You transferred my consciousness to Lore's body."

"That seems like a clever idea on my part but it's all news to me. Who's Before?"

"My brother he…" Data's eyes widened. "We did not find the other Soong prototype?" She shook her head. "Did I meet Juliana, my mother?"

"Yes, not long before she died."

"Died? She is an android." Data told her.

"What?" Taryn said incredulously. "She had a cerebrovascular accident, a stroke. They buried her. I was with you at the funeral…"

"She has a complex biofeedback system that made her appear to be Human, until recently she did not know she was an android herself but it became unavoidable. You reset her aging protocol and turned off her lifespan timer. Your brother found her a new identity."

"Perhaps we should exhume her and take a look, if Pran agrees." Taryn stated. "Which brother?"

"Haydn." Data replied.

"Data, Haydn died. He was killed while breaking in to a latinum depository on Ferenginar ten years ago. We lost Geoffrey a year later against the Borg. Cadfael when Memory Alpha was lost to the Breen in the Dominion War. Tegan, her ship was destroyed on her first cadet placement. My cousin David…"

"Geoffrey has three children." Data stated and Taryn shook her head. "This is all wrong." Data stated. "We are on the brink of losing a war we won six years ago. So many are dead that should be alive. Jean-Luc Picard, Will Riker, Galatea, Jessica, Mike Barnard, Seren, Dorian Peters and Jake Merrill and everyone else at Galor IV, Lal, Juliana, Lewis Zimmerman. There are babies I have held in my arms that have not and will not be born. Yves, your twins, Pip and Andie."

"We called them Pip and Andie?" Taryn asked plaintively. "Philip and T'Pandra?"

"Yes." Data replied and crouched next to her. "Yves Rene Barclay Picard was delivered by Reginald Barclay while your cousin Nareev attacked the ship believing you were a hostage. Dr Crusher and the Captain made me his Godfather. Galatea Musetta Barclay, she is nearly seven, the Ferengi used her in the plot to steal a Borg Queen from Galor IV."

So that's what happened." Taryn's eyes widened. "The little girl we found? We never got to the bottom of what happened there."

"She has green and grey marbled skin and dark eyes, hair as white as snow and you are her mother, the only mother she has ever known and she is thriving on the love you and Reg provide her with. She loves animals, especially riding and horses and runs like the wind. The twins are six months old. T'Pandra Marianne Myfanwy and Philip Iestyn Reginald Barclay."

"It seems mean that we only used one name from his side of the family." Taryn frowned. "Reg asked if they were green."

"Pip is, and I believe Mr Barclay's paternal grandmother was named Philippa." Data explained.

"And everyone else was called Reginald of course." Taryn realized with a smile. "Do I love him?"

"You share as much love as I have ever witnessed between two individuals. Fate has parted you a number of times but you always find each other again. I was told by he tested a hyper-subspace transport between the Daystrom Institute and the Enterprise E docked at Deep Space Nine in the hope that it would lead him to you when you were lost in 1891."

"Oh my God." Taryn breathed. "He must have been shitting himself. He hates transporters."

"His primary concern was the thought he had lost you." Data told her. "In fact, we have experienced a number of divergent realities and you have been lovers in every one but this."

"Wait a minute, Enterprise E?" Taryn realized.

"The drive section of this ship was destroyed ten years ago and the saucer crash landed on Veridian III."

Taryn rubbed her temples. "Well, at least everything isn't idyllic in your timeline."

"So far the only positive thing I have found here is Geordi's relationship with Leah Brahms." Data stated. "We have to put things right but I do not know if he will wish to assist. In our timeline he is single and the Chief Engineer."

"Barclay isn't the Chief Engineer?" Taryn raised a brow. "That's just weird, he's like part of the ship. So what position does he hold?"

"He is a lecturer and researcher at the Daystrom Institute on Earth, you are a professor there also."

"Bollocks, I'd never make a professor." she replied.

"You are Professor of Inorganic Life Studies, and I notice you doubt your own capabilities and not those of Commander Barclay."

"He'd be a good teacher if he can get past his nerves. He does a great job developing his team." she reasoned. "There is one other positive thing, don't forget he's happily married to Counsellor Troi."

"That does not mean he would not be happier with you and she with Captain Riker." Data stated.

"Okay, if that was your sales pitch I'm buying." Taryn stated. "What do we do to put all this straight?"

"We have to go back in time and protect two people. Destroy the threat to them. The hyper-subspace technology that sent us to 1891 was developed by Mr Barclay. We have his knowledge and expertise..."

"That man worked at the Daystrom Institute, our Reg doesn't know anything about hyper-subspace technology any more than I could teach a class in…what was it?"

"Inorganic Life Studies, but you actually teach Exobiology and Cybernetics at the moment. You will be teaching Inorganic Psychology as well when your new curriculum starts."

"My new curriculum?" she frowned.

"You devised the course."

"What does Reg lecture in?"

"Holographic Engineering, Communications and Hyper-subspace Technology."

"We're the Nerd Family Barclay aren't we?" She shook her head. "We have another diplomatic mission as soon as we leave spacedock. Starfleet have been keeping us near Earth as a last line of defense. When are we going to have time to take this trip to 1891 to save the day?" She rolled her eyes at his expression. "We're breaking orders again aren't we?"

"We do that often?" he asked.

"How do you think we ended up in spacedock?" she replied. "We have a reception at Starfleet Command to attend tonight, we need to get ready and I need to move out."

"I do not require quarters if you wish to stay." Data told her.

"I'm already packed, unless you're worried about the rumour mill?"

"Only on your behalf." Data stated.

"Perhaps we should keep it quiet that you're a different man, I only told Barclay and he's not a gossip. Some of the crew may be difficult about it. Perhaps I should stay here for now?"

Data touched her arm as she buried her head in her hands, she was clearly conflicted as well as hurt. "I should not have burdened you with all of this." he whispered.

"You had to," she replied, "you nearly jumped out of your bioplast sheeting when I hugged you and kissed your neck." She snorted with laughter then sighed. "Time to squeeze my arse into that bloody dress uniform again." she moaned.

"You have a most svelte bottom. I do not believe you will have difficulty donning your dress uniform."

"You silver tongued devil." Taryn snorted with laughter. "You're _so_ not my Data, but you're very cute." She shook her head and went into the bathroom to change leaving Data with a confused expression on his face, wondering exactly how different his counterpart was in terms of personality.

 _Author's Note:_

 _Nerd Family Barclay is a reference to the book Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss and the Disney film based on it._


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Reg knew it was coming, he could feel it in his water as Deanna looked at her rear in the mirror.

"I really need to cut down on the chocolate ice cream sundaes." she muttered. "Does my bottom look fat?"

"No. You look…lovely." Reg forced a smile as he fastened his collar. It was indeed looking a little more rounded these days but he genuinely didn't mind her gaining weight. It was her moaning about it ad infinitum that got on his nerves. He often thought Taryn could do with gaining a few pounds. She tended not to eat when things got hectic and sometimes seemed a little gaunt. It was no secret the Captain moved the time of the daily Ops report to coincide with lunchtime to ensure she ate while she was in his ready room. It was how their relationship started in fact. He only hoped this new Captain would continue to make sure she took care of herself.

"What's wrong with the Captain?" Deanna suddenly frowned and stared at her husband.

"What? Nothing." he assured her.

"You're lying." she stated.

"It's not for me to say." he told her and fidgeted with his cuff. He hated dress uniform and he was beginning to loathe the way every emotion he felt was instantly known by his wife. Before they were married, before that walk in the Arboretum that he knew was out of pity he'd imagined it would be the ultimate experience to be with a woman who could respond to his emotions. His needs and desires. The truth of it was he just couldn't get away with anything, not that he ever really tried. His only crimes occurred in his imagination and Deanna made him pay through the nose for every one.

"I know that Prior didn't go through with the implantation. Beverly told me. I also know she came to speak to you in Engineering. From what I hear it looked like a cozy chat you were both having." Deanna snapped.

"Exactly, we talked, in full view of the entire engineering team." he replied. "Last time I looked talking to a fellow officer wasn't prohibited in our marriage vows."

"If you know something that affects the Captain's ability to command it's your duty to report it."

"I'm not aware of anything that affects his ability to command." Reg stated. "Your issue is the one you've always had that you can't handle not having a hotline to Data's mental state and you hate that you can't read his wife either."

"Thank you for your insight Dr Freud." she said acidly and strode from the room.

He sighed and followed her, although he knew he'd won that round. She always resorted to sarcasm and facetiousness when she ran out of logical arguments. The rest of the senior team were waiting when they arrived in the shuttle bay. Thankfully transporters were offline for repairs so they would have to take a shuttle down to Starfleet Command. Taryn gave him a look and pointed to her collar and he gave her a questioning frown. She rolled her eyes and untucked his collar where it was folded under at the front.

"Oh, thank you." he blushed and noticed Deanna was glaring at him as though he'd done it on purpose. There was a time when she checked his collar, and ran her hand down his chest and smiled up at him, but it was short lived. These days he didn't even get a chance to look at himself in the mirror without her in front of him checking out her butt in minute detail. He didn't have to be empathic to be aware his wife was smouldering beside him on the short shuttle voyage but he knew he wasn't the only cause. It was who was on the guest list.

They could hear her voice long before they entered the banquet hall. Reg noticed the side of Taryn's mouth twitch as Data raised his brow at her ahead of him. Clearly some things are common to all timelines.

"Of course, Admiral Whatley was quite overwhelmed by his attraction to me." Lwaxana Troi regaled a stunned looking Admiral Paris with her diatribe. "Little One, over here." She waved at her daughter. Deanna blanched and looked around for her husband. Reg however, had engaged evasive Is Reg about to do something he'll regret? and had slipped away to lurk by the punch bowl unnoticed. Deanna rolled her eyes and forced a smile as she approached the Betazoid matriarch.

"It could be worse." Taryn told him as she grabbed two glasses of champagne from a tray carried past by a waiter and handed him one.

"How?" Reg asked and clinked glasses with her. They both shared a loathing for mingling at these events and tended to lurk around the fringes aside from when Taryn was lured onto the dancefloor. They'd rotate in opposite directions then compare notes when they met.

"This could be real champagne." she smirked.

"Speak for yourself." he replied and looked at his glass carefully. "That's your call? Synthehol?" she nodded. It was a game they played, champagne roulette. If it was synthehol there was a good chance Prior would be shaking her tail on the buffet table by the end of the night and if it was real Barclay would be embracing everyone and telling them he loved them, particularly the men, in a purely fraternal sense of course but it was occasionally misconstrued. It wasn't really a bet, they had an unspoken agreement to step in and monitor the intake of the other to prevent career suicide, but it did determine which of them would have the most fun.

They took a sip in unison. "Oh bollocks." Taryn sneered and Reg smirked. It was real champagne. "They don't usually break out the real stuff for the usual suspects, someone important must be invited." she whispered.

"Little Flower!" came a cry from the far side of the room.

"Oh fucking Nora, what's she doing here?" Taryn cursed in her cultured accent just as Reg took a sip of champagne and he snorted, sending it down his nose and choking. She slapped him on the back and scowled. "It's not funny." she hissed as her grandmother approached. "Edara, I didn't know you'd be attending." Taryn smiled and kissed her cheek as the statuesque, white haired Green Woman swept her away. She loved her grandmother, everyone knew it but the Tahedri had a habit of creating drama at diplomatic events. The idea of Lwaxana Troi, daughter of the Fifth House, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed, Federation Ambassador and grade A Drama Queen circulating in the same room as Edara the Wise, daughter of Melara the Temptress, Tahedri of the Caj Barin and owner of her very own planet, a planetoid and three orbital moons was like mixing nitrating glycerol with white fuming nitric acid. An explosive combination. The evening was looking up and Reg grabbed another drink, followed by a third and a fourth in short order.

"Commander." Admiral Prior said to Reg and drained his glass. "I don't know who to avoid more, my mother-in-law or yours?" He paused. "Yours, mine has never tried to cop a feel." he decided and grabbed another drink from a passing tray. Marianne appeared at his shoulder and took it from him. She knocked it back in one.

"Christ alive, who invited those two?" she giggled. "We never have this much fun at my gallery openings."

"You never drink at your openings and it's unlikely anyone will start an interstellar war." Iestyn said.

"How are you Commander Barclay?" Marianne smiled warmly.

"I'm fine, how are you Mrs Prior?" he replied with a smile, listing slightly as he sipped more champagne. Their recent missions had kept them near the Sol Sector acting as a bus service for an assortment of diplomats, as such they were often attending diplomatic functions, the one duty he hated about being Chief Engineer. The senior Priors would also circulate on the fringes and they would always speak to him. He liked them, they were amiable despite the tragedies that had cost them half of their eight children in recent years. It was clear where Taryn got her inner strength, resilience and her social conscience.

"Oh, here we go." Iestyn said brightly as the two formidable ladies met. Taryn and Deanna backed away from them, clearly anticipating a cataclysm of some sort but they greeted each other like sisters and chatted like old friends.

"Well that was disappointing." Marianne pouted. "Perhaps they cancelled each other out?"

"Wait, there's another player in the game." Iestyn grinned as Grand Nagus Rom appeared with his delegation. His wife Leeta, his brother Quark, an enormous bodyguard and five assorted, shifty looking Ferengi.

…

Taryn chewed her thumbnail as she stood beside Counsellor Troi watching the two matriarchs chat. From a distance the exchange between the two delegates appeared amicable but those within earshot heard that their tongues were dripping with acid.

"I see you're still keeping your natural hair. How brave of you, most women your age would at least add some colour rather than look frumpy." Lwaxana smiled sweetly.

"At least it's my hair and not a wig." Edara retorted. "Your choice of dress is lovely, reminds me of the marquee I purchased to hold my third wedding." She flashed a wolfish smile.

"Your dress is particularly daring dear, not many women your age can pull off backless…and frontless." The Betazoid said with a warm smile.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen my mother look happier." Deanna stated incredulously.

"It's like honour among warriors only with bitchiness." Taryn said with wide eyes. "I don't know about you but I'm making a bid for freedom." she stated as they both grabbed a fluted glass from a passing tray and floated away in opposite directions.

"Oh God, how much have you had to drink?" Taryn asked Reg as she found him loitering in the corner.

"Not that much." he told her as he sipped from his glass, looking more than a little glassy eyed. He looked up as the music changed and people began to dance. "You said you'd hold me…" he said as he gazed into her eyes and was lost for a moment, "…to dancing with you." he added shyly, reminding her of their earlier discussion.

"I forgot my tritanium toecaps." she said with a forced smile. She really didn't feel like dancing.

"Then I'll have to watch where I put my feet." he took her drink from her hand and put it down with his then took her hand. She looked up at him as he steered her around the floor. It was the first time she'd danced with him, she realized. She was often dancing at these events, whether she wanted to or not. She'd probably taken a spin around the floor with most of her male colleagues, even Worf once when Data ordered him to be sociable and stop glaring at everyone, but never Reg for some reason. He wasn't exactly Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly but she wasn't exactly Cyd Charisse either for that matter. He didn't step on her feet, nor did she feel like she was being grappled with. It felt natural to be in his arms and she found it a little disturbing. "Is it in the genes, an Orion thing?"

"What?" she asked with a puzzled smile.

"You dance like a…"

"Handcart?" she suggested. "Manatee? Three hundred pound Tholian?"

"No," he smiled. "I can't think of a simile right now but it'll be a positive one when I do."

"Thank you. When I think of a simile for you I'm sure it will be equally flattering." she smiled, genuinely this time.

"Do you think we dance together in the other timeline?" he asked.

"I don't know, I'd like to think we don't get press-ganged into so many of these diplomatic horrors." she replied. "By the way, one is green."

"Really?" he smiled, "Boy or girl?"

"Boy, Philip but we call him Pip."

"After my Nanna?" he looked touched.

"And my Grandad, how's that for a coincidence?" she replied. "The girl is T'Pandra after my great-grandmother, we call her Andie. They're six months old."

"They're still babies? Wow." he breathed. "The daughter we adopted?"

"Galatea, she sounds like a Green Grey Orion hybrid." she told him.

"But I thought they were all sick?" he looked alarmed. "Galatea?" he frowned and looked puzzled.

"He said she's thriving." Taryn smiled. "She's nearly seven and she loves riding horses. He said she runs like the wind."

"I like to ride." he said with a smile.

"I didn't know that." she replied, gazing into his eyes, "My Miffy and my Aunt Beth run a riding school. I've ridden since before I could walk."

"We should go riding together." he suggested.

"I'd like that, but I think your regular riding partner may object."

"She doesn't ride. She's not really that fond of animals. It's why I'm not allowed a cat, that and the fur all over her clothes. She says Betazoids get too involved in the passions of the beasts or something."

"That sounds like fun to me but passion is a Kolari trait, along with being beastly." Taryn smiled wolfishly. "Data wanted me to ask you…"

"May I cut in?" Deanna asked brightly.

"Of course Counsellor, would you like to lead or shall I?" Taryn smirked and stepped aside while Reg snorted with laughter. Deanna gave him a chiding glance as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You're drunk." she snapped at him.

"I am not drunk. If I was drunk I'd be dancing with Admiral Paris," he argued, "or worse, your mother."

"Would you like to dance?" Data asked appearing at Taryn's shoulder.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." she replied softly, but reluctantly agreed to maintain the illusion that nothing had changed. "You normally hold me closer." she whispered.

"Like this?" he replied softly, drawing nearer and she nodded.

"You turn my hand to your chest." she added sorrowfully and he changed his grip, the back of her hand against his body and his palm against hers, their fingers entwined.

"I know how difficult all this is for you, and I am grateful that you are being so supportive." he whispered and she turned her head and leaned against his shoulder. They looked for all the world like a romantic couple in love but her eyes were fixed on the back of a man she had previously only thought of as a friend as he danced with his wife. She was unaware that as they turned Barclay's eyes locked on her and his face fell on seeing her in an intimate embrace with a man he knew was only posing as her husband.

…

Taryn had just finished introducing Commander Worf to her cousin Nareev when someone grabbed Taryn's upper arm and dragged her across the dance floor in front of Admiral Paris, causing her to spill her champagne.

"This one, how much?" The Ferengi holding her asked. "I will pay ten bars of latinum for one night with her."

"I beg your pardon?" Taryn asked indignantly.

"Lieutenant Prior is not for hire." Owen Paris replied giving her a sympathetic look.

"Twelve-bars." the Ferengi grinned. "For eight hours."

"It's not a question of price. The Lieutenant is a valued officer and not a... courtesan." The Admiral replied, signaling for security.

"She is small," the Ferengi leered at her breasts and grabbed her backside, "but firm. I must see her naked before I increase my offer." She resisted the urge to deck the unctuous little turd. This was a diplomatic reception, she knew better than to start a fight.

There was a blur of a dress uniform beside her and she was dragged by the arm and bottom as the Ferengi tightened his grip on being tackled, slamming her into Admiral Paris who fell on his back with her sprawled on top of him.

She lifted her face. "Are you alright sir?" she asked the flattened flag officer.

"I'm fine Lieutenant." he replied with a smirk.

She turned and saw one of her fellow officers straddling the Ferengi, holding him by the collar and repeatedly punching him in the face. To her horror she realized it was Reg and felt a pang of guilt that she hadn't kept up her end of the bargain and stopped him getting too drunk.

Another Ferengi weighed in and grabbed Reg by the scruff of the neck trying to drag him off his fellow delegate, then another joined him and started punching Reg while the other held him. Taryn pounced and grabbed his attacker in a choke-hold, riding on his back like a monkey and within seconds Nareev picked up the Ferengi holding Reg by the collar, hoisting him by the back of his pants, towing both him and Reg across the floor and shook him until he let go, then flung him in the direction of the Nagus' bodyguard who was approaching menacingly. The enormous Hupyrian brushed the flying, screaming Ferengi aside causing him to collide with the string quartet and tackled the equally sized Orion prince causing them to crash through the buffet table. Worf roared as he entered the fray, grasping a random small arm that happened to belong to the Chief Tellarite Aide and swung him to clear a way into the rapidly expanding, whirling cloud of fists and limbs.

Dr Crusher tried to render aid to the fallen until one of the Ferengi seized the confusion to fondle her breast and she administered a palm strike to his face then found herself fighting hand to hand as the scrum closed in. Soon the other senior officers from the Enterprise were there, some trying to break it up but most ending up throwing punches, fighting tooth and nail with most of the Ferengi Delegation and an assortment of other representatives and officers who were caught in the fallout. A security team poured into the room and only succeeded in making matters worse.

…

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Taryn asked Reg as they sat on the floor of the banquet hall. She had two black eyes, a split lip and a bloody nose.

"He was manhandling you. Was I supposed to just stand and watch?" he protested as he held his ribs with one hand and a handkerchief to a cut to his brow that was bleeding profusely. He also had a black eye and a bruised jaw.

"Yes, that's exactly what you were supposed to do." She scowled at him. "You'll get court-martialled, you could lose your commission."

"I don't care." he protested.

"You should care. You'll care tomorrow when you're sat on your arse in your wife's quarters listed as her dependent with bugger all to do all day…" she stopped and thought for a moment. "Listen to me." she whispered. "If they ask you felt compelled to protect me okay?"

He shrugged, it was technically true. He couldn't stand to see anyone pawing her like that. He'd even looked away when Data kissed his bride, it was more than he could bear but this was more than that. In the last few hours, if only in his mind she had become the mother of his children, someone he cherished and felt compelled to protect.

"Okay, someone tell me what the hell happened here?" The Commander in Chief of Starfleet asked.

Taryn stood to attention. "I take full responsibility sir." Reg looked up at her in amazement.

"You do?" he asked.

"A Ferengi delegate grabbed and molested her sir. He was attempting to… inappropriately procure her sexual services." Admiral Owen Paris reported, stepping in to defend her.

"And you attacked him?" The most senior flag officer asked her.

"No sir, but I temporarily lost control of my pheromones and it must have caused a hormonal response in my crewmates which led to them over-reacting in my defence." she stated.

"So how were you injured?" he asked.

"I tried to restrain one of the other Ferengi Delegates who were attacking one of my crewmates three to one. I was caught in the melee."

"Lieutenant?"

"Prior sir. Taryn B. Assigned to the Enterprise." she responded. Reg noticed the Commander in Chief exchanging glances with Admiral Prior who nodded in acknowledgement. She was indeed one of his.

"Did you intentionally release your pheromones Lieutenant?" he asked.

"No sir, I use a Vulcan technique to withhold the triggering hormone and it requires discipline to maintain. I…slipped sir, I apologize wholeheartedly and offer to resign my commission."

Reg felt as though his heart was about to beat out of his chest or stop completely. He wasn't sure which but he couldn't let her do this and stood beside her.

"Sir, I was the one who st…truck first and I insist on t…taking responsibility as the ranking officer." Reg stated.

"No need for both of you to fall on your swords Commander. I accept your resignation, effective immediately Lieutenant." He turned to walk away but someone in an ornate dress blocked his path standing far closer to him than he felt comfortable with.

"You're punishing this woman when that loathsome little creature assaulted her?" Lwaxana Troi stated angrily. "It's hardly her fault she has Orion blood."

"Yes and quite frankly you can kiss goodbye to building your military installation on MY moon if this travesty goes any further. It was only the fact that my Little Flower was in Starfleet that I entertained the notion at all." Edara added indignantly.

"Little Flower?" The Chief asked.

"Me sir." Taryn confirmed with embarrassment. "The Tahedri is my grandmother."

"I see." he rubbed his forehead despairingly. Clearly the political situation was even more complex than he had realized.

"If I may say something?" Quark ventured, ignoring Rom's efforts to silence him.

The Chief nodded tiredly. "Why not."

"Quite frankly my cousin is an idiot who doesn't know how to behave, even the offer he made for this lovely creature was an insult. She's clearly worth at least fifty bars of latinum or more for a night of…pleasure." he smiled lasciviously as he looked her up and down.

"You're not helping." Rom warned him in a stage whisper.

"I'm sure the Nagus is happy to accept her apology for her, lapse in… whatever and we can draw a discreet veil over this matter?" Quark suggested.

"What about the other delegates that were injured in the fracas?" The Commander in Chief asked.

"I haven't had so much fun in years." The Andorian Ambassador smirked and winced at his cut lip.

"This room is too cold," the Tellarite Ambassador with a bloody nose complained, "these females are irritating," he pointed to Lwaxana and Edara, "the champagne is too fizzy." He raised his snout like nose. "But it has been an enjoyable evening on the whole."

The other Delegates being treated for minor injuries nodded and murmured their assent.

…

"Did you know that would happen when you stood up?" Data asked her quietly as they returned to the ship on the shuttle, still battered and bruised.

"What, you mean the I am Spartacus routine? Not a clue." she replied, "I thought my arse was grass and I didn't really care. I planned to stay on board as your dependent anyway and help you set things right. I've lost three brothers, a sister, a cousin and I have three children that are alive in your reality, three more with Geoff's kids. If we succeed this timeline will cease to exist, what does my career matter?"

"It is a relief that your pheromones were to blame, otherwise we have a serious discipline problem." Data tilted his head. "You did release your pheromones?" he asked and she simply looked at him. "Tell me you did not lie to the Commander in Chief of Starfleet?"

"Would you rather I lied to you?" she responded and he shook his head. "I refuse to answer that question on the grounds it may incriminate me sir."

…

"Are you going to say anything?" Deanna asked with forced calm as he sat pouting on the couch, still in his battered dress uniform with his collar open. "You caused a diplomatic incident."

He swallowed hard and averted his eyes as she looked at him. Finally he'd got her attention when he didn't want it anymore.

"Are you speaking as my wife or as ships counsellor?" he asked softly.

"Have you considered the possibility she's using her pheromones to manipulate you?" she asked.

"To what end?" he asked incredulously. "She doesn't need anything from me. If she wanted to take control of the ship she's better placed than I am at Ops and she has the Captain worshipping the ground she walks on. If she wanted to seduce me she'd have tried before now and you've made it abundantly clear I'm next to useless in that department." He stopped on seeing her hurt expression but this diatribe was a long time coming. "I've never mislead you about how I feel, there would be no point but she is entirely innocent in all this and you've done nothing but treat her with mistrust and disdain. It's not her fault she looks like that damn painting, it's not her fault you don't know what she's feeling and it's not her fault I'm in…" he stopped himself from saying it and stalked from the room, leaving their quarters.

He walked dejectedly through the corridor with his head down. He needed to talk to her, understand why she would risk throwing away her career like that to save his. If there was a chance she felt the same way he did about her, no matter how slim he needed to know. He rubbed the back of his head and realized he had no idea where her new quarters were.

"Computer, locate Lieutenant Prior?" he asked.

" _Lieutenant Prior is in the Captain's quarters_."

His face fell, she was still with him. He'd seen them dancing and they were talking earnestly all the way back from San Francisco. Either the old Captain had returned and he was in her arms or the new one had decided what side his bread was buttered and was probably seducing her right now. Kissing her, touching her, writhing with their naked bodies entwined.

He turned around and headed for the turbolift, clenching and unclenching his hands and he flexed his wrist nervously, grasping it with the other hand, his breathing uneven as he descended through the ship. He stepped into the corridor and strode purposefully towards the large doors that whirred and hissed open at his approach.

"Run Barclay Program 9, development mode." he instructed and tilted his head to gaze at her. "Hello Galatea." he whispered to the girl dressed in strategically placed oak leaves. "Access Starfleet personnel file, Prior, Taryn B. Overlay physical, psychological and educational parameters from that file to Program 9."

" _That function is restricted._ "

"I wonder why." he muttered dryly and walked over to a panel in the arch and removed it. He dropped to one knee and altered the positions of a number of isolinear chips retaining one in his hand. He tapped at the panel briefly then looked at the chip in his hand, rubbing it with his thumb. This was it, the line in the sand. The point of no return. He pressed it into place. "Access Starfleet personnel file, Prior, Taryn B. Overlay physical, psychological and educational parameters from that file to Program 9."

He circled his new creation, finally she was perfect, ten percent smaller, her eyes shone bright with intelligence and not the vacuous stare she previously gazed at him with. "Say something?" he whispered.

"Hello."

He closed his eyes and swallowed nervously, barely able to contain his feelings at the sweet velvety tone of her voice and her cultured intonation. "Right, um… Access digital image file The Dryad of Windspirit Glade. Create a backdrop from that painting." The glade appeared with the large tree, the one he used to meet the Goddess of Empathy under and sleep with his head in the lap of a photonic Dr Crusher. Long before that it was the home of his Galatea, the girl from the painting that he never could get quite right. "Save as Barclay Program Theta 1." he ordered.

He gently placed his finger on the chin of his creation and turned her face to look at him. "I love you." he whispered sincerely.

"I love you too." she replied, gazing into his eyes but deep down he knew it was her programming, there was no emotion behind it. That had always been his problem with her. He could never suspend disbelief with her as he could with his other holographic playmates. He sighed and looked her up and down with sadness in his dark eyes. Perhaps she was close enough for what he needed.

He took her in his arms and kissed her with every particle of desire he felt for the real girl. She responded and took him in her arms, returning his kiss.

"Put her in uniform and braid her hair." he ordered and looked at her, his eyes glazed with passion. "No, dress uniform and put her hair in a bun. No more of a swirl at the nape of her neck. A little make-up on her eyes, little more. Yes, that's right that's…" he panted breathlessly and kissed her again. "Make her smell…Orion." he asked the computer, "No that's far too much, it's subtle it's…make it… five percent of that level." He knew that as a simulation she wouldn't produce real pheromones but he didn't care. She suppressed them normally and it never altered the way he felt about her.

He held her chastely as he had hugged Taryn once when she thanked him for a birthday gift he had given her to compare her to the real thing. He'd spent ages carving a she-wolf to create a mold and had poured the metal himself to make the statue and she was thrilled with it. He'd made many gifts for Deanna over the years, most taking much longer than the wolf and every one was in storage within a month of her birthday. He'd seen the wolf on the coffee table in the Captain's quarters nary a week ago when he returned a book Data had loaned to him.

He breathed deep, taking in her scent. "Oh boy…" he whispered as he opened the neck of her uniform and slipped his hand inside, cupping her pert breast and froze. She was looking up at him, love shining in her eyes but the smile on her lips wasn't her cheeky smile, or the wolfish one, or the sweet dimpled one she made if you paid her any kind of compliment or any of the million different smiles she seemed to have. "Don't smile." he told her, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb and turned her suddenly, her back against his chest and his arm around her waist. "Lock the door." he ordered as he pulled her jacket off her shoulder and her uniform aside to kiss the soft jade skin on her neck. "Make her less…submissive." She tore herself from his arms and turned, then grasped his jacket and yanked him down to capture his lips in a searing kiss. "Save program. Run in simulation mode." he gasped as he came up for air and lifted her, her legs wrapped around his waist as he lost himself in her kisses, the warmth of her body and her scent.

 _Author's Note:_

 _I am not Spartacus, nor do I own Spartacus._


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"I'm here as Ship's Counsellor." Deanna said with her arms folded.

He looked up from his terminal in Engineering. "God forbid you should visit me as my wife." he replied and rolled across to the other console in his chair.

"This is serious, if you're having a relapse of your holo-addiction…" she said following him.

"I'm touched that you care enough to check up on me when I stay out all night. Were you disappointed that I wasn't with Prior?" he told her without taking his eyes off the readout. " _The real one anyway._ " he added silently, knowing she would pull it from his mind, and know the only guilt he felt was of using her image without permission.

She grabbed the arms of his seat and turned him to face her. "Reg, what's happening to you?" she asked. "You've become so angry, so bitter all of a sudden."

"I'm tired." he replied. "I'm tired of you condemning me for crimes that are only in my mind. I'm tired of the…the disappointment on your face when the door opens and I walk into our quarters. I'm tired of feeling…" He looked at her and frowned, took her chin in his hand and turned her face to the side. "Who is he?" he said coldly as he looked at the bruise on her neck, just below her jaw. What really surprised him was his utter lack of jealousy.

"What?" she asked, pulling away. Her hand rose to the bite on her neck. "The Praxian Ambassador tried it on while I was dancing with him. At the time you were watching Prior shaking her boobs in the face of that Tellarite." she spat angrily. It was true that one of the shorter members of the Tellarite delegation had asked her to dance and was nose to breast with her, however she maintained her 'dance space' carefully. Reg admittedly got a little carried away making certain of that. "Where were you when my backside was getting groped?" she asked. "You didn't fly to my defence and start punching people. You saved that honour for a chit of a girl nearly half your age who belongs on sale at a slave market, not the bridge of a Starship."

"The Captain asked me to bring you this." Taryn said dropping a padd on the console. "He wants to meet with the senior team in half an hour when you've read it." she told Reg softly and turned and walked away.

"Oh my God." Deanna said and rubbed her temples. "I can't believe I said that."

Reg picked up the padd. "You have a right to be angry," he conceded, "with me. Not her. That was a low blow Deanna. That will have cut her to the quick and any other officer would make an official complaint. Think about that?" He looked at her as she turned on her heel and left and he shook his head as he watched her go. Did she really think he was so dense he wouldn't notice Worf couldn't look him in the eye anymore? She should stick to saying her hickeys were from Mok'bara practice seeing as Worf seemed to get them too, and on the same days. Besides he saw the Praxian Ambassador sucking face with Taryn's cousin Nareev as they were leaving. He doubted Deanna was his type.

…

The senior team exchanged glances around the table, Guinan and Geordi were also present. "I c…came up with this?" Barclay asked as he looked at the padd.

"You certainly did." Geordi confirmed with a smile.

Barclay shook his head in disbelief and chewed at his fingers, the idea of firing a tachyon beam at a pulsar to create a micro-wormhole and sending a com signal through it was inspired, let alone a matter stream. That was the work of a genius to accomplish.

"Can you recreate the transporter experiment?" Data asked him.

"No." he replied. "We don't have an interdimensional deep space transponder array." Reg said plainly. "I don't know of another way to create a sixty terawatt tachyon beam or a gravimetric surge of five million teradynes without one."

"No MIDAS?" Geordi asked with a horrified expression.

"The Vulcan's proposed building one in the Mutara Sector but Starfleet didn't have the resources to join the venture. It's still on the drawing board." Taryn stated. "We're at war. Research and development, what's left of it is focused on offensive and defensive weaponry. Communications arrays are low on the list of priorities."

"Even if we did have a way of firing a tachyon beam of the necessary magnitude we don't have access to the Bajoran wormhole." Barclay reported. "It's in Dominion territory."

"The Bajoran Orb of Time generates a surge of chronoton radiation right?" Taryn suggested. "If we can do the same we could create a temporal vortex."

"Yes, but we have no way of producing such a surge, much less focusing it." Worf stated.

"Yes we do." Barclay responded. "We have the prototype interphase cloaking device the Romulans were messing with."

"Oh yeah, when Ro and I got phased and declared dead." Geordi stated. "That happened here right?" he asked and everyone nodded. "We didn't confiscate the device though."

"We did." Worf intoned with an air of superiority.

"Well, that thing pumps out chronotons alright. We just need to find a way to focus it." Geordi stated. "I'm sure we could come up with something."

"Are we sure we're doing the right thing here?" Counsellor Troi asked. "We could make matters worse by interfering in the timeline."

"Believe me, things couldn't get much worse than they are now." Guinan stated. "The war with the Dominion should be over. We won."

"Starfleet is less than a quarter of the size it is in our timeline. You're going to lose this war." Geordi stated, "Unless we change the past back to how it was before the aliens intervened."

"I understand that you have your doubts, I have admitted that I am not the same person I was this time yesterday and it could be argued that I am not your Captain. I realize I am asking you to join me in disobeying orders and breaking the Temporal Prime Directive based on my word alone. If any of you wish to leave the ship you may do so."

"As your First Officer my place is at your side sir." Worf answered.

"You know my answer." Taryn smiled.

"It's not the first time we've played with Earth's history. Why change the habit of a lifetime?" Beverly agreed.

"I'd… like to be the man who came up with this." Barclay stated, waving the padd, glancing at Taryn askance.

"It's decided then." Deanna stated coldly.

…

"This cannot continue." Worf intoned as they were alone after the Mok'bara practice.

"We haven't done anything Worf." Deanna protested. "We've only kissed a few times."

"You know what is in my heart." Worf stated angrily and turned away. "In our souls we have dishonoured Mr Barclay."

"Worf… Don't please." She took his arm and turned him to face her, "I'm redundant here. The Captain hasn't confided in me since he married and he knows as much about diplomatic protocol as I do. I'm only here to comfort crewmembers who've lost loved ones in the war these days. Reg spent the night on the holodeck, he's fixated on this crush he has on Prior and he doesn't want me anymore. He doesn't even care that she couldn't possibly be interested."

"You are someone else's mate." Worf said as he pulled away his arm. "If you are unhappy you should seek a separation."

"I can't do that to him, he'll fall apart." she said incredulously. "He'll disappear onto a holodeck and never re-emerge."

"I believe he is more robust than you give him credit for. He is not the man he was when he first came aboard. He has proven himself time and again." Worf fixed her with his gaze. "Or is it that you wish him to be dependent on you? Just as you wish the Captain was still the socially awkward android that asked for your advice when he found the emotions of others confusing."

"That's unfair." she exclaimed, her lower lip quivering.

"Your wounds are self-inflicted Deanna. I was among those you counselled for loss or have you forgotten? I lost K'Ehleyr and Jadzia and then I lost Alexander in the war and you belittle your service to the bereaved as though it were a waste of your skills. You counsel others in their grief yet you cling to the memory of your child as if to love another would be a betrayal. You cling to a man long dead and took a mate you knew was vulnerable and who loved you more than you did him. You do not practice what you preach."

"I don't have to listen to this." she shouted and turned to leave. He grabbed her arm.

"Listen to this." he stated. "I love you, but I cannot take you while you are so encumbered in spirit. You must let go of the past."

She wrenched her arm free and stalked from the room, tears streaming down her face.

…

"He's called Widowmaker? Seriously?" Reg asked as the horse ate a treat from his hand and Taryn saddled her black Friesian, Obsidian. He thought it would be a struggle for her to reach, he was a big horse but she managed it easily. "For a stallion he seems a teddy bear, don't you handsome?" He cooed at his mount.

"We can swap if you're at all worried but he doesn't live up to the name." she told him. "Cadfael called him that after he refused at a hedge and he went flying into it, it stuck unfortunately. He likes an assertive rider and Cadfael was as assertive as a wet noodle." she explained the reason for the bay Standardbred's name.

"Do you have a western saddle?" Reg asked.

"I don't know." Taryn said with a frown and walked to the tack room. "You could use my side-saddle?" she joked.

"You ride side-saddle?" he asked incredulously as he finished brushing Widowmaker. He'd only seen holographic simulations do that, it always looked so precarious.

"Not often but I can." she replied. "Edara likes me to for some reason. I think you'll have to go English." she said emerging with a saddle for him.

"Here let me." he said and grasped it, his hand brushed hers and he blushed. His holodeck adventure with her alter-ego paled in comparison to the inadvertent touch of her fingers against his. Her jodhpurs, riding boots and tight polo shirt were doing strange things to his blood pressure too. He was also dressed for riding but with short boots and long sleeves on his shirt.

"I had no idea you had anything so powerful between your legs Commander." She smirked as he joined her in the lane, both wearing riding helmets. They trotted along at a steady pace for a while before turning into a field and breaking into a gallop. Her horse was beautiful, a worthy steed for a knight in armour with a dramatic mane and tail that flowed in the wind and she rode him as though he were an extension of herself. Widowmaker was a great horse, pacey and proud but responsive. He understood what she meant about him liking an assertive rider. He could tell he had a distinct personality while he was brushing and saddling him.

Ahead of him she jumped the gate on the black gelding. He had to admire her form and followed her, acutely glad he was using an English saddle as he would most likely have gelded himself on the horn of a western. He tore after her across the next field, catching her up. He reached the next gate before her and jumped it catching his shoulder on a low branch he didn't spot until it was far too late and was unseated. He landed on his side on the other side of the gate in a heap and was grateful Taryn had insisted he wore a helmet. He heard Taryn's horse bray, an alarmed squeal and turned to see her flying forwards over her horses dropped head and land against the gate before hitting the ground. Obsidian stumbled and rolled over, narrowly missing her and scrambled to his feet, shaking his head. A seventeen hand, fifteen-hundred pound horse doesn't find it easy to stop on a dime.

"Are you okay?" she asked desperately. "I thought we were going to trample you." she was shaking.

"I'm fine but my pride's a little dented." He looked up, Widowmaker was sniffing at his shirt and Reg patted his cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked and took hold of her hand through the gate. Their eyes met for a moment and it seemed to Reg that time stood still, the warmth of her hand in his and the sound of her quickened breath all that he was aware of. She tore her hand away as if burned, along with her eyes.

"I'm just shaken up." she said and stood, going to check her horse. "Easy 'Sidian." she whispered as she checked his legs and patted him. Reg opened the gate as she swung back into the saddle and she trotted through after ensuring her steed was fine. He closed it behind her, mounted Widowmaker and they rode on at a slightly more sedate pace with a lot less showing off.

…

"I really don't know what you want me to say Deanna." Beverly stated as she swiveled in her office chair sipping her coffee.

"So you're on her side?" Deanna snapped.

"No, but I'm furious with you. I told you she wanted to hold off on the implantation as Ship's Counsellor and you tell me you used that personal information as ammunition in an argument with your husband and never spoke to her at all. Then you tell me you made a public, racist comment in her earshot and want to know if I've heard anything about a complaint? What's happened to your objectivity? Your professionalism?"

"Maybe they went off riding planetside with my husband?" she asked acidly.

"For pity's sake they aren't having an affair! Engineering and Ops always end up working closely and she sees him as a friend. God knows she can't confide in the Ship's Counsellor." Beverly argued and nibbled at a biscuit.

"So this is my fault?" Deanna replied.

"Well maybe it is. We both know you haven't exactly been faithful over the years or hidden that fact from Reg. Despite that you've always kept him on a tight leash, even more so since Prior was posted here and I've often wondered if you aren't choking him. You say he's become bitter and twisted? Maybe a long hard look in the mirror wouldn't hurt? Yes, he's obviously attracted to her and she regards him fondly and yes, this situation is somewhat unusual since this other Data arrived but… Can you honestly say you're happy with your marriage? Because you've bent my ear about it often enough." Beverly sipped her drink. "Maybe Worf is right and you need to make a definitive choice? Maybe you do need to let go of the baggage you've been hauling around since you heard about the accident on the Potemkin?" Beverly paused and quirked her lip. "Maybe it's no coincidence you married a man with a morbid fear of transporters?"

Deanna sighed and unfolded her arms. She picked up her mug of hot chocolate as she considered her friend's words.

…

"You'll feel it tomorrow." Taryn told him after they returned to the ship and were headed towards the turbolift. They were now in Earth orbit and the crew had been granted shore leave before their unauthorized mission began.

"I'm feeling it now." Reg told her with a smile. "Are you sure you don't want to call in to Sickbay? That was quite a tumble you took."

"I'm fine, it's not the first time I've come a cropper. You should go to Sickbay, for a moment I thought you were going to be no more than a fond memory. You scared me to death."

"It was nothing, just a few bruises aside from a mortal wound to my ego…" he smiled. "It was fun, we should ride more often… if it all goes horribly wrong and this timeline continues."

"It was fun." she replied shyly as they stepped onto the turbolift.

"There's something…" He stopped and looked away, "something I…well I…" he sighed as they reached the floor both of their quarters were on. They stepped out and she turned to face him.

"What is it?" she looked up at him plaintively.

He fidgeted with his hands, "The other night…when you took responsibility for what happened…why?" he asked with a puzzled expression.

"I'd already decided to help Data correct the timeline and my career didn't seem important compared to what was at stake. I couldn't let you take the blame."

"But it was my fault. I should have been the one to take the blame."

"I thought you charging to my rescue was…gallant if a little melodramatic and I was touched." She smiled that shy dimpled smile. "You're more important to the ship than I am. I could have still helped Data as his dependent. It would be more difficult for you to work as Chief Engineer in the same position."

"So you and he are working things out?" He tore his eyes from hers. "That's…well that's good…good news…really good news. Great in fact." he said trying to convince himself more than anything.

"There's nothing to work out." she stated, indicating her empty ring finger that he was shocked he hadn't noticed. "I'm only staying in our quarters because he doesn't need to eat or sleep and we're short on accommodation at the moment."

"So you aren't? I mean you're not…I…well…um." he stammered, desperate to confirm that she wasn't having hot android sex anymore, suddenly terrified by the thought of how he'd fare in comparison. "I wanted…I mean I thought…It's understandable of course…if you were…" she looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face, patient as always as he tried to articulate his emotions. "Oh fuck it." he exclaimed and grabbed her, his lips seizing hers in a searing kiss, his hand gently cupping the back of her head as he held her firmly against him with his arm around her waist. To his utter amazement he felt her hand slide over his back and shoulder, the other slid up his chest to his open collar and caressed the base of his throat, her lips returning his kiss feverishly. Her response was worlds apart from his photonic Galatea, her hands stronger as he held him, her kiss more heated and passionate. "I'm in love with you." he whispered and kissed her again, softly and gently. "I have been since the day I first saw you."

He slammed into the bulkhead as she slapped him hard across the face.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" she screamed. "You're married! I'm married at least technically! Your wife is a fucking empath! You can't kiss me like that!" she scowled angrily. "You can't say things like that!"

"Hold on a minute." Barclay said as he blinked, his ears ringing and cheek burning from the blow to his face. "You kissed me back!" he argued.

"I did not." she pouted and stormed off.

"Liar." he shouted after her.

…

"Taryn, you cannot mean this." Data said entering the quarters they shared as man and wife in another life. He held a padd in his hand. "You cannot really wish to resign your commission?"

"I can and do." she said as she packed what was left of her belongings since her last packing fit. "I'll be staying with Miffy. Can you see that my things get sent to the riding school?" she advised him.

"What has happened?" Data asked, reaching out to touch her arm, but she pulled away.

"Troi's right, I don't belong on the Bridge of a Starship. I'm a liability. It's only a matter of time before I really lose control and what happened at the reception will be an everyday occurrence. There's a reason why only a handful of Green Women have ever joined Starfleet. We're toxic, we poison the people around us making women sick and men irrational."

"I have met few people more deserving than you of a Bridge post." Data told her. "I do not know what Counsellor Troi said but you must have misunderstood…"

"I didn't misunderstand anything. Apparently I'm 'a chit of a girl nearly half her husband's age who belongs on sale at a slave market, not the bridge of a Starship'. Admittedly she didn't know I was there when she shouted it in the middle of Main Engineering." She picked up the statue of a wolf from the coffee table and flopped onto the couch. "That's the other reason why I've resigned my commission." She felt the contours of the metal figurine. "I think I broke the senior team." she admitted guiltily.

"You…broke the senior team?"

"Barclay kissed me and told me he's in love with me, and Troi is going to kill me, she already hates my guts and has since the day I arrived. Even if he manages to hide it from her empathically the handprint I left on his face is a dead giveaway. Everyone is going to take sides and I'll be the green slut. I always am." She sighed. "That's not the worst part…" She looked at Data and tears welled in her eyes. "I liked him kissing me and I kissed him back. I think…I wish you never told me about the other timeline, everything is a mess. I can't stay now." she shook her head. "I just can't. You're all better off without me." She grabbed her bag, shoving the statue in it and left their quarters.

…

"Come in." Barclay said and stood up from the couch, he'd showered and changed into uniform although his jacket was open and he had an ice pack held to his face. He'd thought about going to Sickbay but Beverly was Deanna's friend and the last thing he needed was a lecture. He felt bad enough as it was. "Taryn." he whispered, surprised that she was out of uniform, much less carrying a bag over her shoulder.

"Is Counsellor Troi here?" she asked softly, looking around.

"No." he replied. "There's something you need to know…"

"Please, I came to apologize." she stated. "I shouldn't have hit you, you didn't deserve it and you were right, I did kiss you back."

"Taryn…" he began.

"I came to say good-bye, I've resigned my commission, effective immediately. I couldn't just go without saying anything." She sniffed and wiped her face with her sleeve. "Take care of yourself okay?" she whispered and turned to leave, avoiding his alarmed expression.

"I asked Deanna for a divorce." he said. "I think she was relieved. We should have done it years ago."

"You shouldn't have, not because of me." she whispered.

He shook his head. "We want different things and always have done. We fell in love with an illusion of each other that bore little relation to reality. Besides, she admitted there's something between her and Worf, not that I didn't already know." He looked at her. "Please don't leave?" he pleaded and stepped towards her. "There's so much I need to tell you…"

She cupped his cheek, still red from where she slapped him and stood on tiptoes to kiss him gently on the lips. "I'm sorry." she whispered and turned away again.

"My father has a painting that looks just like you, and I tried to make a hologram of her when I was eighteen and she never seemed right but she was…nothing like you and the moment I met you I knew that I'd been waiting for you my entire life," he blurted. "I did something awful after the reception, on the holodeck as usual. I made a…a you and I spent the night with her and boy am I sorry I did it but I felt… lost and I wanted you so much and you should have that baby that's waiting for you in Sickbay. I know you planned to raise her with Data, but you should raise her with me and I don't care that I sound like a maniac because this may be my only chance to say this..."

"Reg…" Taryn began.

"No, let me finish…" he gestured frantically with his hands. "I meant what I said, I'm in love with you and if there's any possibility that you could give me, give us a chance…" She kissed him again. "Was that a kiss good-bye?" he whispered dejectedly.

"No." she replied, with a smile. "And the baby isn't in Sickbay, I couldn't just leave her behind."

"She's in your bag?" he asked with alarm, "Is she okay in there?"

"She's not in the bag." Taryn admitted, looking a little nervous.

"You're pregnant?" he asked with a smile.

"It's a bit early to be classed as pregnant, but…I went back to Sickbay after you pounced on me in the corridor, once I decided to leave."

"Oh Taryn, you have to let me be with you." he whispered, holding her against his chest. "I'll love both of you so much and I'll, well I'll do my best to be a good father. If you still want to leave I'll resign too."

"I don't want to leave." she told him. "But it's not going to be easy to stay. I'll be the green femme fatale that broke up your marriage, and my own. The rest of the crew aren't going to believe it's a different captain from another timeline."

"Just, put me out of my misery for God's sake?" he wailed. "I don't expect you to love me back, I just want to prove to…" She kissed him again.

"How many times do I have to kiss you before you get it?" She smiled and kissed him again and he held her tight in his embrace, never wanting to let her go. "Oh crap, I have to see Data." she exclaimed, pulled away and ran from the room.

"You're going back to him?" Reg called plaintively down the corridor after her. "But I thought…"

"I have to stop him submitting my resignation to Starfleet Command, and ask for an annulment." she shouted back.

"You're not keeping it quiet then?" he yelled back with a smile.

"No, because I think I love you Reginald Barclay." she hollered at the top of her lungs.

"She thinks she loves me." he repeated, grinning like an idiot then frowned suddenly. "She _thinks_ she loves me?" He frowned again. "An annulment? That can't be right."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

"How are the bussard collectors holding up?" Reg asked, scratching the back of his head while holding an ODN coupler in his hand, looking at a tricorder and standing beside the Romulan device.

"Looking good so far." Taryn's voice stated. "No sign of phasing…"

"Give it a little more?" Geordi asked and Reg nodded. "Increasing by two percent…"

Taryn's console beeped. "They're phasing, we're losing containment. Increasing power to integrity field to compensate…" they could hear the sound of her terminal responding to her fingers, "back it down Commander, I can't keep up…" she asked Geordi. "Chronoton radiation levels are falling in the collectors, we have a breach." She swore in Orion under her breath. "I…" the terminal beeped again. "Drop us out of warp…the entire port nacelle is going out of phase!"

There was a flash of light and the three of them were standing on an empty holodeck, Taryn a little further away.

Reg leant against the wall of emitters and dropped into a crouch, as he dropped the tricorder carelessly. "There has to be a way to stop the damn thing trying to partially cloak us." he rubbed his face distractedly.

"Maybe I'm the wrong person for this station." Taryn said as she sat beside him on the floor cross-legged. "Data would be faster."

"That's…it's not you, it's the tech." Reg told her as he rotated the coupler in hands, gazing at it as if seeking inspiration. "It's just not compatible. Standing still it blows the resonator coil, at impulse we irradiate the drive section, at warp we start to phase out parts of the ship. It didn't work properly for the Romulans, why did I think we'd fare any better?" He rested his elbow on his knee and clenched his fist, rolling is fingers as he thought.

"It's late. Maybe we should sleep on it." Geordi stated. "I know I'm tired and you two have been running simulations since yesterday morning." He sighed. "I'll see you in the morning." he told them and ambled from the holodeck.

Reg smirked and glanced at the Green Woman beside him. He was tired even though they had taken a number of rest breaks, mainly because they spent them kissing rather than getting any sleep. As usual she looked fresh as a daisy. She could go around a week without sleep, less than a full blooded Vulcan but certainly longer than a Human and he'd heard that Orions napped like cats.

"You look tired." Taryn whispered.

"I feel tired, but I'm currently homeless." he told her. "The Ops Officer hasn't assigned me quarters yet."

"I'd get after her if I were you." She smiled. "Although I hear the Chief Engineer has kept her occupied for the last few days. I hear he's been working her like a dog."

"I hear she's still shacked up with the Captain." Reg sighed.

"Joking aside there's only one set of quarters available. They're on the interior of the saucer and it's a twin room designated for enlisted crew or junior officers. To get you quarters commensurate with your rank I'll have to reshuffle…"

"I'll take what you have, I don't care as long as there's a bed, a replicator and a shower." he told her. "You could take the other bed." He looked at her plaintively. "I won't report the breach in protocol of you don't."

"I've told you, there's nothing going on with Data." she stated. "If you don't trust my word…"

"Of course I trust your word. I just want you with me all the time. It's killing me working all these hours just to be near you." he stated and smirked. They both knew it wasn't exactly true. The whole mission was dependent on them resolving this problem.

She squeezed his knee. "Well, it sounds like you need that bed. I'll walk you to your new quarters." She stood, grasped his hand and pulled him up to his feet.

"Come inside with me?" he whispered as she kissed him goodnight at the door.

"I thought you were tired?" she said breathlessly, her arms around her neck.

"Okay." he said reluctantly. "I get the hint." he took hold of her wrists and kissed her hands in turn. "You'd better walk away because I can't take my eyes off of you. I can't take my lips off of you." She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him away mid pout with his eyes closed. He opened one eye when he realized she was leaving him hanging.

"What hint?" she asked earnestly.

"Well, we're both still married, legally anyway, for another few days. You're probably weirded out that I slept with a hologram of you, I know I am." he added guiltily. "If you aren't ready to take things further I can wait."

"You read an awful lot into five words. Particularly as I just meant you should probably get some sleep because you look exhausted." Her lip quirked into a smirk. "I don't make hints, there's very little subtext with me."

"There's a whole universe of subtext with you." He stroked her cheek, "How beautiful you are, how intelligent, how…how you can care for a bumbling fool like me…" he paused as someone walked past then looked down at her and smiled.

"I suppose as the officer in charge of accommodation I should make sure you're happy with the quarters…" she told him. "That was a hint by the way."

He took her hand and led her inside.

"These quarters are the best I've ever had." He whispered as he kissed her bare shoulder. "I hope the half-naked Green Woman comes with them?"

She giggled as he held her in his arms on the single bed. "You'll have to negotiate that with the Ops Officer."

"I'm sure I can persuade her. I hear she has a thing for the Chief Engineer."

"Reg I have to tell you something." she said earnestly.

He frowned. "Sounds serious." he raised a brow. "I hope you aren't about to say 'you know I'm a dude right?' in a deep voice."

"No, I'm not going to say that." she giggled. "You know that I spend a month every year on Barin Prime at my grandmother's court?"

"It's difficult to miss you not being around." he whispered. "I pined for you the whole time, every time you left the ship…"

"Well, it's not a holiday. I have official ceremonial duties that are expected and I received tuition when I was younger." She gazed into his eyes as she caressed his bare chest through his open yellow jersey. "I was taught how to…excite a man…."

"You didn't need lessons for that." He pulled her closer and his kisses became more heated as he pulled at the remainder of her clothing and her at his.

"Wait, I need to explain." she said as he pulled off her panties. "There are differences…"

"Oh boy you're beautiful." he whispered as he looked at her naked. "What differences?" he asked as he pressed a kiss to her nether lips. She moaned with pleasure at his sweet caress, her hands buried in his hair. "It all seems standard issue to me aside from being the most beautiful thing I ever saw." Her reply was a deep kiss that she didn't break as she literally ripped his underwear at the sides and pulled them out from between them. "Easy Kitten. I'm not done exploring yet." he protested and slid downwards pressing kisses to her taut belly on the way. He took his time, savouring every sensation and taste as he caressed her intimately with his mouth and fingers, gasping as he looked down at her exquisite womanhood. He stopped suddenly and looked at it sideways with a frown. "Er, Taryn? I've never seen one before but…is that what I think it is?"

"Oh God." she began to shake. "I'm sorry." she whimpered and tried to cover herself.

"Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry about." she curled into his arms, her face buried against his shoulder.

"I was supposed to have it removed, most Green girls do as part of a rite when they reach adulthood, but I was raised Human and…I wanted to be Human…"

"But you're married. How can you be a virgin?" he asked her in disbelief.

"Data's not built for that. He's loving and we cared deeply for each other but…he doesn't have the hardware." she said softly. "We had an active intimate relationship but he could never bring himself to break my hymen."

"I kind of have an issue with that myself. I've never deflowered anyone, the last thing I want is our first time to be painful for you. I…" he swallowed.

"That's unavoidable for Orion girls, it's quite… tough. Orion men are, no offence, better endowed and rougher, that's why the ritual started. I'd have broken it myself riding and doing gymnastics if I wasn't part Orion." She sighed deeply. "That's what I was trying to explain. Two things really. I had the theory lessons but none of the practical ones at my grandmother's court and…I need to get you worked up to come across with the rough stuff or it's just not going to happen. Maybe I should get Dr Crusher to remove it, or just visit the holodeck and get it over with…"

"No," he kissed her forehead and stroked her hair, "it's something precious, I'm not letting you lose your innocence on a holodeck and I'm certainly not getting rough with you. I'm not even sure I feel worthy to rob you of it."

"You wouldn't be robbing me of anything. I want to give it to you." she said earnestly. "Perhaps I should get surgery?" She chewed her lip, he found the way she did that utterly adorable and he sighed deeply.

"Let's take things back a step or two and see what happens." he whispered. "But I'm not an android and I'm not going to be able to hold back forever."

"I don't want you to hold back or take any steps backwards." She kissed him softly, then more deeply and rolled over on top of him. She worked her way down his body with her mouth and hands. The pleasure he felt was overwhelming, and her scent intoxicating as he surrendered to her caress. "I want you to take me, body and soul, right now. I don't want to have to make you do it, but I will. We need to get past this, literally."

"I want to have you, more than anything. You don't have to influence me." He turned, taking her with him in his arms. He kissed her forehead tenderly as he positioned himself over her, his weight on his arms. He sighed at the sensation as pressed against her. Finally, this was it and he thanked God silently that it felt nothing like his experience on the holodeck. She gasped and bucked slightly at the unfamiliar pressure. He felt resistance inside her and found he could go no further, she whimpered as he kept pushing. "I…I can't do this." he grunted and pulled away sitting back on his heels. "It's not that I don't want to make love to you but I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry."

"Shall I try going on top?" she asked and he nodded. She mounted him and put her whole weight against it.

"That's… really not comfortable." Reg winced as she tried bouncing.

"I'm sorry." She slid back, onto his lap and cupped his cheek in her hand. "I love you." she whispered. "Remember that."

"I love you too." he replied pressing his cheek against her palm.

"Breathe nice and deeply for me," she asked softly, "close your eyes?"

"W…what are you going to do?" he asked nervously with a smile.

"Just concentrate on my voice." she told him. "Don't relax though." she smirked. He nodded and closed his eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course. Oh!" He gasped as she ground her pelvis against his groin, tantalising, teasing as she sighed and writhed against him, her hands gripping his shoulders. "Oh boy." he whispered.

"Look into my eyes." she instructed him after a few minutes and his eyes locked with hers, unblinking. "You are mine. Every particle of your being belongs to me. Every breath, every bead of your sweat. Mine." she licked her parted lips. "Every tortured sigh you make in the heat of passion and every drop of your ejaculate belongs to me, understand?" He nodded, breathless. "Do you want to possess me like that? Own me? Claim me?"

"Yes." he moaned, yearning evident in his voice.

"I want that too. Every part of me aches to be yours, but this time, our first time you can't make love to me. You need to fuck me, understand?" He nodded and kissed her softly on the lips. "No, you need to take me. Like a dog taking his bitch," she flicked the tip of her tongue over his upper lip, eliciting a sigh. "A fox ravishing his vixen," She moved her lips close to his, teasing him to kiss her then pulling away at the last second. "a stallion mounting his mare." She tilted her head, her gaze still locked with his. "Perhaps you don't want me as much as I want you?" she frowned. "Maybe I should go and look for someone more…assertive who'll give me what I need." She moved to get up.

"No." he pushed her onto the bed on her back roughly and pinned her by the wrists. "You're mine!" He sucked hard at her neck, nibbling and nipping with his teeth. "Mine." he flipped her over and grasped her hair. "No one touches you but me." He hissed in her ear. "No man empties his balls into you but me."

"No one but you, I swear." she breathed as he roughly pulled her to her knees and mounted her. She cried out in pain as he tore through her flower and stretched her womanhood for the first time. He stopped, savouring the sensation, his hands grasping her hips but desire screamed through his mind and body and he continued undeterred by her whimpers, intent on staking his claim, his blood thundering in his ears and his breath ragged. He withdrew and threw her onto her back.

"I need to see your face." he grunted as he grasped her legs, pressing her knees to the mattress with her legs spread and pumped her in a frenzy of feral lust. Deep in his mind the civilised, gentlemanly part of his conscience told him not to look into her eyes fearing what he would see. Terror? Trauma? Hatred? But her breath came fast from her parted lips and her eyes were glazed with passion. He leant forward and kissed her. A hard, almost bruising kiss as he kept up his furious pace and released his grip on her legs to clutch her against him. She crossed her legs over his back and clung to him, whispering endearments and encouragement, her hands caressing his back, his hair.

Soon she cried out again, with pleasure this time, screaming his name as he joined her with a breathy moan, climaxing hard and deep inside her. He collapsed on top of her and buried his face into her shoulder, exhausted and bathed in sweat with his heart beating so fast in his chest he thought it may burst.

"Oh boy." he whispered as his faculties began to return along with the blood supply to his brain. He sighed and kissed her softly. "Oh boy I love you." He smiled and sat back on his heels. "Oh boy, you're bleeding…" he raised his hand with her virgin blood on it. It was all over him, the bed, her thighs. "What did you make me do?" he cried in alarm.

"It's okay Sweetie." She took his face in her hands and pressed kisses to it as he stared at her blood in shock. "I know you're confused but you were wonderful." She grabbed a towel and wiped them both.

"Do you want to go to sick bay? Is it the baby? W…what…?"

"It's normal for Green girls to bleed this way if they're unbroken. It's fine." she panted, straddling his lap.

"I hurt you…I raped you…"

"No, no my sweet lover you didn't. For one thing you had my full consent and… It hurt at first but it soon passed. I'm robust, bendy, Green and part Vulcan. It'd take more strength than any Human male has to injure me having sex unless I'm tense and unwilling." She exhaled sharply. "God it was exhilarating. I don't think I've ever come that hard." She smiled at him and pressed her sweaty brow to his.

"You don't expect… I mean you won't do that all the time?" he asked, still breathless and sweaty.

"No." she panted and shook her head. "No, of course not."

"Good, I think it'd kill me." He held her close and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. "I love you."

"Love you too." she whispered and kissed him with brazen heat. She smiled as she ruffled his hair, finally catching her breath. She shifted position, still in his lap but leaning back on her arms, gazing at him appraisingly. She began to sing in a language he didn't know but sounded Orion, although different.

"You're a wild thing." He gazed at her. "Is that a love song?"

She shook her head, "A bedtime story, passed down my family in the High Tongue."

"What's it about?"

"Love, revenge, murder. The usual contents of Orion folklore. It's about a courtesan so beautiful she wins the heart and soul of a powerful Tahedri and bears him a girl-child. He gives her power and dominion and takes her to share his bedchamber every night." She rubbed his thigh with her foot as she spoke slowly.

"He doesn't marry her?"

"He's married already." Taryn flashed a wolfish smile. "His wife, the Tabadi is jealous and furious that he has taken power from her to give to a low-born and their lovechild. But she outwardly accepts the woman as a sister wife and allows the girl to be raised and educated with her sons. The little girl grows strong and brave and clever."

"Like you." Reg commented as he stroked her calves, raising the sole of her foot to his lips to kiss it tenderly.

"The Tabadi bides her time, and no one suspects she's been poisoning the Tahedri's food for months."

"Oh dear," Reg smirked, "sounds very Shakespearian."

"On his death bed, in the arms of his weeping lover he bequeathed his title and all that he owned to their daughter, Edara, who was now sixteen."

"Edara? Your grandmother?" he asked incredulously.

She shook her head. "A different Edara, this was five centuries ago." She smiled. "The Tabadi was incandescent with rage that her sons had been passed over. But there was nothing she could do. The Tahedri was a beloved man, she could contest the accession but would lose popular support and draw attention to herself. People might have questioned the Tahedri's fatal illness if she made a fuss and if she killed the girl…she'd got away with the murder of one Tahedri, but two?" Taryn shook her head. "She tried to arrange a marriage between her first born, Aden and Edara but she would have none of it. Not only did they share a father, she didn't love him. She'd already lost her heart to the Captain of the Guard. Bayleron."

"Were they lovers?"

She nodded. "Aden, at his mother's insistence challenged Bayleron to a battle to the death for her. The fight raged on for hours, both men evenly matched until the Guardsman stood over his foe, ready to end his life…"

"Well, what happened?" he pleaded.

"Edara begged her lover to spare her brother's life. Bayleron told her he didn't care about the land, the riches. He would take her barefoot and naked as long as they were together; she was the only treasure he craved. The life of her brother was of no importance to him, all that mattered was her love."

"And?" he urged.

"She slowly removed her jewellery, the adornments from her hair, her gilded sandals. She slid her fine robes from her body and as naked as the day she was born she took his hand. They walked out of the palace gates and away from the Caj Corsti. Together."

"She gave it all up to be with him?" He sighed. "Did they live happily ever after?"

"She was clever and resourceful. Her father had taught her to be both wise and astute. She raised a fortune and formed a Caj of her own with her worthy mate at her side. She bore ten daughters, desperate to give her husband a son and heir."

"Did they have a son?" Reg asked.

"Eventually he took her weeping face in his hands as she nursed their eleventh newborn girl-child and told her she had given him eleven strong, beautiful heirs that filled his heart with more joy than he thought possible. If her wise and noble father felt she was the best choice for Tahedri over his sons then what did the sex of their offspring matter? What did it matter if their descendants never produced a male heir? And from that day to this, the Caj Barin has always had a female Tahedri."

"Is that a true story?" he asked with a giggle.

"According to my grandmother." Taryn replied. "It's tempting to steal a shuttle and head for Orion space while we're in the past and find out isn't it?" She flashed him a feral grin.

"I'm more interested in the future." He looked at her earnestly. "I want to make plans, but if this is a redundant timeline…" He took hold of her by the waist and sighed.

"We can't think like that." She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "If I thought like that I wouldn't be trying to get pregnant."

"W…wait. W…We're not on birth control and we… I mean if you're not pregnant you could be pregnant." he said with alarm.

"Don't worry. I won't force you into anything." she replied.

"That's not what I mean, I mean…marry me?"

"You're already married," she laughed, "and so am I."

"I mean it, when we're both free to… will you think about it?" he asked earnestly.

"I don't know if you noticed but earlier on I swore you'd be the only man to…empty your balls into me…I think that was the phrase you used." She looked at him earnestly. "I think that about sums up the level of commitment I'm willing to make." She smiled warmly at him.

"Oh boy." He kissed her and pulled her close. "I love you." he whispered between kisses. "Will it hurt you if we make love again?"

"No." she gasped as he kissed her neck.

"No you don't want to or no it won't hurt?" he asked softly with a frown.

"Stop thinking." she whispered as she pulled closer, still straddling his lap and held him tight in her arms.

…

"You're very quiet." he whispered as he held her cradled in his arms. They'd spent the rest of the night between sleeping in each other's arms and gently making love in that small bed.

"The room is full of my pheromones. I don't want to influence you." she replied and kissed his neck.

"It's a little late for that." he replied with a smirk and she giggled.

"It could become a problem. Long term exposure can lead to delusions in Human males."

"We obviously found a way around it in the other timeline." he replied. "We'll think of something."

"So how did I compare to my photonic counterpart?" she asked.

"No comparison." He smiled and stroked her arm. "Your skin is softer," he pressed a kiss to the point of her shoulder, "more velvety. Your kisses deeper and more intense. Your lips taste sweeter…I've always thought you had an innocence about you, but that wasn't the right word. There's a part of you that's wild, undomesticated and feral. I'm not going to fall back on the cliché about animal women but, there's something deer like about you, delicate and fragile. Being near you is a privilege like seeing a forest creature in the wild. You have qualities and attributes in your nature and your physicality that no hologrid could ever duplicate."

"Go on?" she smiled.

"Well, you're a snugger fit…you know…" he blushed, "and the computer never took Orion training into account, I didn't expect you to tease the way you do and your pheromones…I'm a musket usually, one bang and I'm done till morning, even in my twenties but with you there wasn't just an encore…"

"No, there were a number of curtain calls, each with a standing ovation." She grinned and kissed his nose. "You weren't what I expected either." She toyed with his chest hair playfully.

"Is that good or bad?" he asked, looking worried.

"I knew you'd be…inventive and imaginative, but I thought you'd take more coaxing. You are a dark horse. Mr Barclay."

"I was okay though? You weren't disappointed or…faking it?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I'm not disappointed, you were wonderful. Why would I fake it?" she asked plaintively. "How would you know what I like or don't like if I did that?"

"I didn't mean to offend you. I just felt…insecure.…I heard Orion women mislead men that way to get what they want."

"Sex is what I want." she snapped indignantly with a scowl.

"Well that's alright then. I'm happy to oblige." he replied stroppily, then snorted with laughter and she buried her face in his chest giggling. "You do realise if we hadn't done the deed you could have had a virgin birth?"

"I'm not confirmed as pregnant yet. Dr Crusher said she'd check tomorrow."

"You will be. I just know it. You're already glowing." he told her as she stroked her hair away from her face tenderly.

"That's more to do with you I think." He tensed suddenly. "What? What's wrong?" she asked.

"The placental barrier." He propped himself on his elbow to look at her earnestly. "We need to generate a field inside the bussard collector to contain the chronoton particles, not increase the structural integrity."

"We've been looking at it the wrong way. We need to create a womb and deliver them like a…. a seahorse giving birth into the warp bubble to contain the radiation." she realized. "I knew I loved you for a reason."

"Then we can use the warp field modulation to focus the chronoton surge…" He grabbed her face and kissed her, then jumped out of bed. "We need a bi-layer field inside the collectors… like a cell membrane."

"With an anyon layer to neutralize any escaping chronotons." She followed him into the bathroom and stepped into the shower with him. "You're brilliant!"

"No, you're brilliant." he argued, smiling at her as he turned on the water.

"You shower with water?" she asked, blinking and beginning to resemble a drowned rat.

"You'll love it. Trust me." he whispered as he began to apply soap to her body tenderly.

…

"We ran the simulation on the holodeck countless times and here are the stats on the ones the computer came up with." Geordi handed Data the padd with a grin. "From the momma of all hickeys on Taryn's neck I'm sure they weren't working on the problem all night but they'd certainly cracked it by morning." Geordi smiled again, "They also came up with a theory that if we follow this flight plan the temporal field may overwhelm a temporal lock, but as we haven't studied one it's purely speculative."

"Geordi…." Data looked at his friend. "While we were on Earth in the nineteenth century you pointed out that Taryn had the most to lose. In this timeline you are the one with that dubious privilege."

"Look, I've talked it through with Leah and, let's just say I'll be visiting her when we get back to our own timeline and…I won't be lost for words this time. She told me how I won her over." He looked at Data. "You've been quiet, almost reclusive…"

"I have been reading my counterparts personal logs." Data whispered sadly, and turned the screen to show Geordi.

"A Rhapsody in Velvet Jade?" Geordi arched a brow and his eyes widened as he read. "Oh my God…" Geordi grinned.

"Suffice to say it knocks 'Ode to Spot' into a proverbial 'cocked hat.'" Data commented.

"You can say that again. 'I yearn to kiss sweet honey'd lips, to lap scented dew from thy unspoilt peach.'? Why do I get the feeling he isn't talking about fruit here?" Geordi asked with an arched brow.

"Because he is not." Data replied.

"Unspoilt huh?" Geordi noted, Data having told him about the physical changes between him and his opposite number in this timeline. "I think Reg may have disqualified her on that front by now. He had the dopey grin of a man who'd recently done some intensive spoiling on his face this morning."

"He has made two hundred thousand, eight hundred and fifty-three individual mentions of her in his personal logs in addition to nine thousand, one hundred and two haikus, six hundred and thirty-four poems in iambic trimeter, forty-two in hymnody, seventy-six essays on her manifold charms and I have enough portraits of her in storage to line the corridors of this ship 2.35 times. I have made two hundred and six references to Jessica in my logs, made two pencil sketches and one oil painting. Actually, I have painted Taryn more in our timeline. Twice in fact."

"Twice?" Geordi frowned.

"The original dryad painting and one I made of her reverse view at My Barclay's behest." Data explained. "This Data adores her, he worships her in a way I never thought possible."

"Data, what are you saying? You and Taryn…"

"I am aware that a relationship with her can never be, but if I am capable of a love like this it can never be with Jessica. I care deeply for her, but I do not feel the depth of emotion that this Data feels for his wife."

"Data, sometimes the relationships we have at first… they'll never be everlasting love. Sometimes they just serve a purpose, to explore your sexuality or just learn how to be in a relationship." Geordi reasoned.

"When I read what this Taryn and Data have been through…" Data paused. "They applied to the Federation for adoption but were refused."

"Because you're an android?" Geordi ventured.

"No, because she is part Orion." Data stated. "They had the option of adopting any of the orphans on Barin Prime with Edara's blessing and the approval of Kolari child services but as Taryn said, how could she choose one child from so many? Those children lack family, but they do not lack a home. They are all Edara's children. Children of the Caj. Taryn could not bear the thought of them lining the children up for selection like a slave market. Although she desired a child she found the thought abhorrent, and it tormented her husband that he was unable to provide her with a biological child. I believe it broke his heart."

"So they came up with this cloning idea." Geordi reasoned.

"We could not have arrived at a worse time for them. What will happen when we leave and he returns to find we have dissolved their marriage and she is with Mr Barclay?"

"It's a little late for that Data. For all we know it was inevitable she would end up with Reg. It seems to be the case everywhere else we've been. What I can't work out is why this Data is so different? He has the lower body of a Flotter doll but he seems to have charmed the socks off Taryn."

"His lack of physical equipment merely made him more eager to compensate socially. Also he did not get the emotion chip second hand. In this timeline Lore arrived after Dr Soong had fitted it. He received an undamaged, perfect copy of the upgrade as Dr Soong intended. The blueprint for the physical upgrade to make him whole is also contained within the chip, but he opted not to build it as his relationship with Taryn was not based on sex."

"I wonder if she felt the same? Especially now she knows what she's missing." Geordi mused. "Was what Lore told you about the chip true?"

"Yes, it does contain memories. Memories of my childhood, of being raised on Omicron Theta by Dr Soong and Juliana. They truly loved me Geordi, as much as if I were their biological child and I know that because I have another brother. A Human brother named Arik."

"What?" Geordi asked incredulously. "What happened to him?"

"I do not know. But I must find out if the same is true in our timelime." Geordi nodded and patted Data's upper arm. "I have not told this Taryn the whole truth Geordi. She does not know she is…dying in our timeline." Data stated.

"She doesn't need to know that." Geordi stated. "Data, for all we know we may not be able to restore things completely. There may be differences, she may not be so sick anyway." Data met his gaze, "I know, I'm clutching at straws."

"You are correct though," he stated, "and I do not doubt that she would give her life for that of her siblings and her children."

"Not to mention her nieces and nephew and David." Geordi added. "I don't think Reg would see it that way though. I think you're right not to tell her."

Data nodded and looked through the simulations and the reports from Geordi, Taryn and Reg in seconds and concurred with their findings. "I believe we are ready." he said as he stood and strode onto the Bridge.

"Have the crew been apprised of the situation and given the opportunity to disembark Mr Worf?"

"Yes sir, but only a handful left." Worf intoned.

"Crew with families mostly." Counsellor Troi added.

"Very good." Data said and took the centre seat. "Engage impulse power."

…

"You know how much I love you don't you?" Reg whispered and kissed her, her face cradled in his hands. "If this timeline ends and there's another one, if I'm not there you have to find me." he pleaded with her.

"We always find each other, Data told me that." Taryn kissed him softly as she clutched at his uniform. "Fate tries to part us but we always find each other."

"You should get that looked at." he said guiltily, tilting her chin to look at the bruising and teeth marks on her neck.

"No, it's your mark of ownership." she advised him proudly.

"Where's yours?" he asked and as she whispered in his ear a smile broke over his face. "Oh. I'll look for that next time I go to the head."

" _Lieutenant Prior, please report to the Bridge._ " came Data's voice over her communicator.

"On my way sir." she replied and threw her arms around Reg's neck. He held her tight against him, her feet off the ground. "Remember, a little thing like the space time continuum doesn't stand a chance against a love like ours." she whispered and they kissed as though they would never see each other again, knowing that was entirely possible. "Take care of yourself Barclay." she told him as she let him go and walked away.

"You too Prior." he told her as he watched her go. He turned around and found the engineering crew, although standing at their stations, where all watching the interplay between himself and the Ops manager. "Let's get ready people, we're about to change history." he told them, ignoring the raised eyebrows.

…

"Captain we have an incoming message from Starfleet. Audio only." The officer at tactical reported.

"Let us hear it." Data ordered.

" _Enterprise, this is Earth Orbital Tracking Station, we're getting strange readings from your ship, do you require assistance?_ "

"This is Captain Data. We are experiencing a power surge in our bussard collectors OrbTrack, thank you for your concern but we have the matter in hand."

" _We read your speed as warp one. This is a violation of planetary regulations for a ship in orbit._ "

"We also have a malfunction in our plasma injectors. We are unable to reduce our velocity at present but we will resolve the matter in short order. Please advise all ships to keep a safe distance as a precaution. Enterprise out."

"Chronoton radiation at seventy-five percent in the bussard collectors, fields are holding, no sign of phasing." Taryn reported.

"Increase speed to warp two." Data ordered.

"Aye sir." the officer at the conn responded.

" _The interphase device is at maximum output. All readings are optimal._ " Barclay reported from engineering. " _Standing by to modulate the warp field_."

"Thank you Mr Barclay." Data responded. "Increase to warp 3."

"Captain, I don't think our calculations are correct for the warp modulation." Taryn reported.

Beside him Counsellor Troi clutched the arm rest tighter.

"Lieutenant Prior?" Data said calmly.

"Our accumulation curve is different from simulation, the particles are packing less densely in the collectors. With our current calculations we'll miss our temporal destination. We'll be fifty years too late." Taryn reported.

"Fifty-two years, seven months and three days." Data confirmed as he looked at his auxiliary Ops panel. "Commander Barclay?"

" _I heard Captain, I'm recalculating now."_ Barclay reported. " _Commander La Forge is double checking the parameters. Lieutenant Prior?_ "

"Checking now Commander Barclay." Taryn responded.

" _Data, I make it an undershoot of twenty-four hours or so. I doubt we can get closer. Good catch Taryn._ " Geordi stated.

"By my calculations we'll be closer to twelve hours." Taryn reported.

"I make it ten." Data stated.

"Why so much difference?" Troi asked.

"It can only ever be an estimation; the warp field controls are not designed to be used this way." Data stated.

"It'll be like pumping a set of bellows. You can't be certain exactly how much you are expelling or how fast. There's no sensitivity Counsellor." Taryn explained.

" _I can make sure we get there early Captain. I can't promise by how much._ " Barclay reported.

"That is good enough Mr Barclay." Data replied.

"Bussard collectors at ninety percent. All fields are holding." Taryn advised.

"Go to warp four." Data ordered.

"We have a priority one transmission from Admiral Paris." The tactical officer reported.

" _Whatever you're trying to do Enterprise, stand down now. I repeat, stand down. Cease and desist your activities in orbit._ " Paris ordered.

"Admiral, if we succeed the Dominion War will be long over and your son, daughter-in-law and grandchild will be safe in the Alpha Quadrant. I ask you to trust me."

" _Grandchild? Data, what are you talking about?_ "

"Planetary defence systems have established a target lock on us sir." The tactical officer reported.

"Chronoton particles at ninety-eight percent." Taryn reported.

"Miral Paris. She is nearly three and you adore her. She has your wife's eyes, your son's nose and her mother's forehead ridges. Your son more than redeemed himself on Voyager. He became a valued officer and a family man. Admiral, Renegade Dominion forces and a being of unknown origin and intent have restarted the Temporal Cold War, they have altered the timeline."

" _What?_ "

"Commander La Forge and I are from an alternate timeframe and we plan to go back and set things right sir. We ask you to trust us." Data stated. "What do you have to lose?"

" _The Enterprise, it's become the mascot, a symbol of hope for what's left of the Federation._ "

"It will still be that sir. If we succeed six years of war with the Dominion will never have happened." Data argued. "Billions of lives will be saved."

"Chronoton particles at maximum density." Taryn reported and turned in her seat. "We just passed the point of no return."

"Sir, if Planetary Defence fire on us we will be destroyed and unable to control the chronoton surge…the planet itself could be at risk." Data advised him. "To coin a phrase, we have you by the short and curlies."

" _Damn you Data. I'm calling off the dogs but if I see you again in this timeline I'll have your head mounted on my office wall. Good luck Enterprise_."

"Thank you Admiral." Data stated. "Enterprise out. Increase speed to warp five and standby to release the chronoton surge on my mark."

"Aye sir." Taryn replied.

" _Warp field modulation is optimal, standing by_." Barclay reported from Engineering.

"Red alert. Shields to maximum. All hands brace for temporal wake." Worf ordered at the Captains right hand.

"Three, two, one. Mark." Data ordered.

 _Author's Note:_

 _Apologies, but the short story Dating Data is now on hold as my plot bunnies have abandoned me. I have, however got another short written but I can't publish it for some time, along with two thirds of a medium length alternate timeline story written, and a good proportion of the next full length story titled 'Intellectual Property.' Also an idea for the next novel length tale so there is a lot in the pipeline._


	28. Chapter 28

**Apologies for the delay...**

 **Chapter 28**

"Lunar Colony is gone, no response from orbital systems." Taryn reported as the green glow abated and the shuddering stopped.

"There are two ships in orbit, a Defiant-class Federation vessel designated the Bastion and a Jem'Hadar fighter." The officer at tactical reported.

"The Federation ship is under attack." Worf reported. "She's taking damage."

"Bastion is a 'he'." Data responded instinctively. "Slow to impulse, standard orbit." Data ordered. "Commander La Forge and I will beam down to the surface while you render assistance. The Bridge is yours, Mr Worf." He rose and went to leave the bridge.

"With all due respect sir, you shouldn't go." Taryn stated.

"I am aware of the regulations Lieutenant."

"She's right but not because you're the Captain." Counsellor Troi added, "You're both already there, if you should meet..."

"I am also well aware of the theories regarding paradoxes." He nearly stumbled as the ship rocked and braced himself against the doorframe to the turbolift.

"The Jem'Hadar ship is attacking us." The Tactical officer reported.

"We just lost the port nacelle. It's gone sir." reported an Ensign at the Engineering console.

"Return fire at will. What's the status of the Bastion?" Data asked.

"Weapons and propulsion are disabled but they still have life support." Taryn reported.

"Incoming signal from the Bastion. It's the ships computer." the Tactical officer reported with surprise. "Not from a duty station." Data nodded for him to patch the channel to the bridge.

" _USS Enterprise D this is Bastion. The Jem'Hadar are using phased torpedoes to pass through our shields. I have been unable to devise an effective means of defence but I am transmitting all sensor data on the weapon to you now."_ Bastion's calm, gentle intonation surprised the Bridge crew of the Enterprise, used to the clipped female tones of their computer.

"Thank you Bastion." Data replied as the ship rocked again.

" _It's good to hear from you Father_. _I've been trying to contact you on the surface._ "

"I am there as well." Data advised him. "I have been in hiding from the Jem'Hadar with Mr and Mrs Matthews

" _Am I to assume you failed and are from an alternate timeline?_ "

"Unfortunately yes. Agent Andrews intervened and Commander LaForge and I have been attempting to resolve the damage done in a number of timelines."

"If we create a multiphasic resonance field…" Taryn suggested looking at the data from the Jem'Hadar weapon.

" _We have now theorised that a multiphasic resonance field between the hull and the shields reduces the magnitude of damage inflicted by the weapon."_ Bastion stated in his gentle voice.

"Make it so." Data advised her, not needing to ask who had suggested it on the Bastion and relieved she was still alive.

"You have a son?" Taryn asked him softly.

"He adopted me as his father. Bastion is a sentient ship." Data advised her and she looked up wide eyed. "You created him. You are his mother."

…

"COOLANT LEAK!" someone shouted in main Engineering.

"Okay, everyone out." Barclay ordered. "You too Ashby." He added as he saw the Ensign grab a breathing mask and return to his station.

"Sir, look at these readings, I think there's a phased torpedo imbedded in the core and automatic ejection is offline." Dan reported. "When it deploys…" Reg looked at the screen and nodded.

"Geordi, get everyone out and bring down the blast door." Reg said grabbing a mask.

"What? No I'll stay and do the manual eject." Geordi argued.

"If you wanted that privilege you shouldn't have let them kick you upstairs." Reg stated. "If I…. Tell Taryn… I'll see her in the other timeline."

"I'll tell her." Geordi promised him as Reg pulled on the mask and ran into the toxic cloud that was forming around the warp core.

…

" _Bridge, we have a phased torpedo inside our warp core. Ensign Ashby and I are attempting a manual eject. Please put in his record that he volunteered and I recommend him for a citation._ "

Taryn blanched at his words and the fact his voice was muffled by a breathing mask. "Sir, there's a coolant leak…" Data placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Do you recommend we separate the Saucer Commander?" Data asked.

" _I don't know if we have time. I don't know why the torpedo hasn't rephased or armed before now. I have a tricorder on scan so with luck you'll get some useful readings…. Ejecting now…"_

"The core has ejected." Taryn reported.

"Move us out, best possible speed." Data ordered the conn.

There was a shearing metallic sound over Barclays open communicator. _"Oh boy…_ " The transmission broke off and Taryn looked up at Data with alarm as the core exploded seconds later, the Enterprise rocked violently in the blast.

"Sir the Jem'Hadar ship was damaged in the explosion, they are retreating." Worf reported. "Ensign Ashby and Commander Barclay have been beamed directly to sickbay."

" _Counsellor Troi, please report to sickbay immediately_." Dr Crusher requested.

Deanna stood and walked to Taryn's side. She grasped her wrist. "Come on."

"No, I mean you're still his wife, his next of kin…the protocol…" Taryn argued.

"You're the one he needs to be there." Deanna replied and the two women left the Bridge together.

"I know you don't like me." Taryn stated on the turbolift. "He explained about the painting so at least I know why now."

"I've been unfair to you." Deanna replied. "I distrusted you because I couldn't read your motives and because you look so Orion. I was prejudiced and the fact Reg thought the sun shone out of your behind only made matters worse."

"I only saw him as a friend until Data started telling me about the other timeline. He didn't betray you."

"I wish I could say the same." Deanna stated. "I do love him, but as a friend and I never should have let it go further than that."

"I saw the readings from Engineering." Taryn stated softly. "I know what we're going to Sickbay to do." Troi nodded and placed her arm around the Green Woman.

…

"Something hit me and smashed my breather. I came to and he was lying there choking." Dan explained. "He must have given me his mask and dragged me out of the compartment." Nurse Ogawa was treating his head wound and trying to calm the blond officer, the tricorder in pieces in his hands,

"Easy," Taryn whispered and kissed Reg's temple tenderly as he struggled to speak, his hand clutching hers, "we didn't leave anything unsaid did we?" She smiled gently. He shook his head and wiped a tear from her cheek. His breathing was uneven, lungs and airway damaged beyond repair by the toxic coolant.

"He wants you to hold him." Deanna told her with tears in her eyes as she stood at his other side. Taryn slid her arm under him and sat him up, climbed up behind him and held him cradled in her arms.

"Better?" she whispered and he nodded, gazing up at her. She rubbed his chest to comfort him, her hand inside his open collar as he began to gasp, struggling to breathe. "Remember what Data said. You go on ahead and when my time comes, I'll find you. You'd better keep an eye out for me okay?" She rocked him gently, singing softly and pressing tender kisses to his face and he reached out and grasped Deanna's hand. Taryn began to cry as his breathing changed to a desperate, plaintive rasp from the back of his throat and he lost his grip on her arm and Deanna's hand. She'd heard it before when her grandfather died in Miffy's arms, they used to call it the Death Rattle, a noise once heard, never forgotten.

Finally, he was still.

Deanna placed his hand on his chest as Dr Crusher stepped in and checked his neck for a pulse. "I'm sorry, both of you. There was just nothing to be done." the auburn haired doctor told them.

"He should have left me." Dan stated. "Saved the damn tricorder at least."

"He'd never have done that." Taryn stated through her tears. "It's not your fault Ashby." She slid from the biobed and gently laid Reg down then pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Take care of him." she told Dr Crusher, wiping her eyes with her hand then walked out of Sickbay calmly.

"You're going to kill them." Deanna stated, following her out into the corridor. "You're going to kill them all and you don't care if you die in the process."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Taryn stated coldly, outwardly showing no indication of what she was being accused of. "I may look Orion but I don't believe in vengeance."

"No, you believe in justice and you're going to go and get it." Deanna looked at her earnestly. "It's as clear as day in your mind."

"Brain damaged remember." Taryn stated. "Unreadable."

"It's not coming from you." Deanna frowned and looked back towards Sickbay. "It's coming from Reg."

"I hate to break it to you but he's dead." Taryn stated coldly and turned away.

"It's fading, he must still have residual neural activity and…you have a mating bond with him."

"I can't have. I have no idea how to initiate a mating bond." she protested.

"You mustn't do what you're planning, you're pregnant." Troi argued.

"No, I'm not. I'm potentially pregnant maybe…" she reasoned.

"He believes you're pregnant." Deanna argued.

"That doesn't make it so." Taryn stated, "Besides. I'm not going to do anything. It's his anxiety you're picking up. Do you really think I'm going to go on a killing spree?"

"Cluros." Deanna stated as she walked away. "He's saying that word as though it's an accusation. The veil of calm to hide your intentions. I should relieve you of duty." she added as Taryn resumed walking.

"We both know you won't." Taryn said over her shoulder and turned to face her. "Empathy isn't the only way to read someone's intentions."

"We should have been friends, not rivals." Deanna stated.

"Allies at the very least." Taryn smiled. "Perhaps in another life we are?"

"Perhaps." Deanna smiled. "Be careful." she warned earnestly.

"Be good, and if you can't be good…" Taryn quoted.

"…be careful. My Human grandfather used to say that." Deanna stated.

"So did mine." Taryn responded. "I'm always careful…" she stated with a wolfish smile and entered the turbolift.

…

"I thought Taryn dying first was a Universal Constant?" Geordi asked Data they prepared for their away mission.

"Apparently Andrews was wrong. Hopefully he is wrong about other things." They turned as the door opened. "No." Data stated as Taryn entered the transporter room dressed in a body suit with long sleeves that covered her wrists and hands to the knuckle with her thumbs emerging. "You are bereaved and this is not your fight."

"Try to stop me." she replied in a voice that brooked no argument. She picked up a semi-automatic pistol with a torch fitted to the barrel and cocked it. "Nice, but not exactly a period weapon."

"It is loaded with these." Data held up a bullet.

"Even nicer." she said looking at it closely. "Self-activating transporter rounds. Where do you propose to transport the targets to?"

"We have a holding cell set up in a shuttlecraft." Geordi stated.

"The plan is to question them about their mysterious benefactor from the future. Find out as much as we can about their plans." Data explained.

"Clever. Can I have two?" she asked.

"To begin with, you're staying here." Geordi told her. "And why would you need two guns?"

She shrugged. "It's a Tomb Raider thing."

"You are not appropriately dressed for the 19th century or to pose as Lara Croft." Data argued.

"Reg and I have been working on this, it's only a prototype, a variation on the camouflage isolation suits used in surveying pre-warp cultures. She pressed a button on the sleeve and her complexion changed to peaches and cream and she was in period dress. "We didn't finish testing it so I don't know how stable it is but seeing as we have Jem'Hadar slashing their throats in broad daylight on the platform of Waterloo Station and a blood bath in Trafalgar Square temporal contamination is the least of our worries." Geordi tilted his head and nodded in agreement as she deactivated the suit.

Data grabbed her arm and marched her out of the transporter room. "You are right," he said to silence her protests, "but you are not beaming down to the surface until you have been fully inoculated."

" _Bridge to Captain Data." Worf intoned._

"Go ahead." Data responded.

" _Commander Barclay, the other Commander Barclay on the Bastion has sent something over. He hopes it will be of use to you._ "

"Please ensure she is protected from streptococcus pyogenes Doctor?" Data added as he waited for her in Sickbay while examining his new toy.

"Of course." Dr Crusher nodded.

"Isn't that covered with standard inoculations?" Taryn asked.

"No need, it's been extinct for centuries but it was prevalent in the 19th century." Dr Crusher stated. "It was the primary cause of Scarlet Fever. The number of deaths caused by that and the secondary conditions it caused is incalculable."

"I don't know why you're worrying Data. I never get ill." Taryn protested.

"There is a first time for everything and we have no way of knowing how 19th century bacteria will interact with your Orion and Vulcan DNA." Data stated.

"What is it?" Taryn asked Data while Dr Crusher gave her the extensive series of shots.

"I believe it is a Temporal Observatory." Data replied.

"A very small observatory." Taryn added. Her eyes widened as he activated it and the images encompassed them.

"Dear Lord." Beverly breathed as she looked around.

Taryn reached out and touched a severed strand that lead to an image of a bearded man with blue eyes, he was in a Starfleet uniform but he was a stranger to her.

"Captain Riker." Data stated and touched the strand at the point it was severed. "Waterloo Station." he intoned and saw the bodies of Elizabeth and Willliam Matthews on the platform. "The target was their unborn child. She is pregnant." he said as he studied the information. "I was not aware of that."

"There's another broken thread." Taryn said and pointed. "There."

"We have two targets to protect." Data realised with surprise. "I know this boy. He was under attack at Trafalgar Square." he said as he examined the readout. "They made a second attempt on his life and succeeded."

"He's supposed to become the husband of baby Matthews if I'm reading this right." Beverly stated. "They're wiping out a bloodline."

"Simon Pelham, the boy's name." Taryn looked at Data. "They name their son William Pelham." He followed the broken strand. "And as Geordi suspected their descendent should be Transporter Chief on the Potemkin."

"Riker was supposed to survive the transporter accident." Taryn followed his strand, "No, two of them survived. A duplicate?"

Data nodded. "Thomas Riker. But it is not what either them will accomplish that the Humanoid wishes to disrupt. The Jem'Hadar have created a ripple effect that disrupts the life you are supposed to have with Commander Barclay. He is supposed to teach at Starfleet academy and your children…" he shut down the display leaving them in Sickbay once more.

"What? What about our children? What's wrong?" Taryn asked.

"It is unwise to know too much about one's future even if it is an alternate timeline." Data argued and took her hands as she protested. "You must trust me in this matter."

She nodded reluctantly. "The other timeline, the one you're from… Is that the only hope for the Federation?"

"No, I saw another but it is not within our reach from this temporal location."

"Just…tell me that somewhere in the universe there's a Reg and Taryn who live happily ever after?" she begged with tears in her eyes.

"I have seen three timelines personally where you are very happy together, far into the future, I am certain there are more." he assured her. She smiled through her tears and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment.

"So what's the plan sir?" She sniffed and wiped her face on her sleeve."

"As soon as Dr Crusher is finished with you we will beam down to the surface and engage the Jem'Hadar. The secondary target complicates matters somewhat."

"Okay, from what you've said the enemy focus is on Waterloo Station, you and Geordi have foreknowledge of at least some of their attack so you go there while I protect Simon Pelham." Taryn assured him.

"Bastion is mobilising ground forces towards Waterloo. I will ask him to send you support also."

"That would be appreciated." Taryn smiled and hopped down from the Biobed.

"Taryn?" Dr Crusher interjected.

"I'll come and see you later about the other matter." Taryn promised as she and Data left sickbay together.

"Is there a problem?" Data asked with a frown as they entered the corridor.

"Nothing that impacts on the mission sir." Taryn replied as they headed for the transporter room.

…

Taryn tucked out of sight in the alleyway beside the Pelham family home and activated the controls on her holographic suit. She adopted the form of a policeman and set the voice oscillator to a soft baritone.

" _Lieutenant, this is Bastion._ " she heard over her communicator as she pulled out her pistol and ejected the clip. " _The E.T.A. on your backup is twenty-two minutes and my scans show eight Jem'Hadar converging on your location rapidly._ "

"Thank you, I'll be in position in sixty-seconds." she replied as she slid in another clip from a hidden pouch and repeated the action with her other weapon. She rounded the corner at a run and climbed the steps to the front door. "Mr Pelham?"

"Yes?" the man replied as he opened the door, still visibly shaken by earlier events.

"We've had a report there will be another attack. Where is your wife and son?" She turned at the sound of a shot that whistled past her ear and raised her semi-automatic pistol instinctively in the direction of the sound. She fired, hitting the gnarled warrior between the eyes and he fell to the cobbled street, blood pooling around him. "Inside! Now!" she grabbed Pelham's sleeve and bundled him into the hallway, slamming the door behind her and flinching as bullets peppered it.

"That's not a police pistol!" Pelham exclaimed as his wife and son joined him in the hall, Mrs Pelham clutching the boy to her skirt protectively. "You're shorter than my wife! You're no policeman!" he protested. "Pale men, dark men and lizards… what the hell is going on?"

"I'm here to protect you, that's all you need to know. DOWN NOW!" she bellowed and took aim at an assailant that burst in via the kitchen, hitting him in the chest before she walked over and dispassionately took the head shot to finish him. "Do you have a cellar? Somewhere secure?" The family shook their heads. "Do you have any weapons in the house?"

"A pair of old duelling pistols, but they haven't been cleaned in decades let alone fired." Pelham replied as he held his family and Taryn checked the ground floor.

"Any military experience? Weapons?"

"I'm a book-keeper, I work in a bank." the man stated by way of an explanation.

"Keep close to me. Help is on its way." Taryn assured them as she headed upstairs, keeping vigilant. "You'll be taken to a place of safety soon. Until then we have to dig in." She found the bathroom was easiest to secure, told the family to squeeze into the bath and grabbed a mattress from a nearby room to cover them. She took position facing two doors that opened onto a corridors and a bedroom and waited, controlling her breathing as she trained a weapon on each doorway. "Six more?" she whispered.

" _Further enemy forces have transported into your area."_ Bastion replied.

"Great." she replied sarcastically. She fired as a warrior came into view.

" _I have noticed you are not using transporter rounds as ordered._ "

"They're malfunctioning." Taryn lied as she returned fire, killing two more Jem'Hadar with a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

…

Emlyn let out a shriek as he turned and saw Data and Geordi. " _Why aren't you on the train?_ " he thought and signed for Data's benefit. Surprise spread over his face as he looked more closely at Data, realising he looked much older.

"We are on the train." Data replied and signed.

" _Never mind, got it all from Geordi._ " Emlyn replied as Data began to speak. " _I'll pass it on_."

Haydn appeared at a run a half-eaten sandwich in his hand and a security officer in tow. "Fuckin' 'ell we just 'eard…. What are we going to do?" he blurted, spraying food everywhere.

" _I can't sense anything from here_." Emlyn reported. " _I need to be closer._ "

"Let's head for the platform." Geordi suggested. Haydn tossed his sandwich into a nearby bin and followed them.

…

Taryn raised her pistols as voices called for her to hold fire. Hands appeared waving combadges before the officers clambered over the slew of corpses in the hallway. "The area's clear Lieutenant, we're here to relieve you." one of them said. She pulled away the mattress and began helping the family out of the bath. They appeared terrified, ruffled but unharmed.

"This is Mr and Mrs Pelham and this is Simon…. Oh bugger…" Taryn muttered as her holographic disguise winked a few times, blinked and left her standing dressed in figure hugging black with green skin, her hair tied in a knot. She tapped at the controls and the image flickered but wouldn't come back on line."

"You're green." Pelham said, looking even paler.

"Yes but…" she replied.

"And you're a…a…"

"Girl yes, but I promise you these men are actually… You are men aren't you?" she asked realising she didn't really know either of them.

"Last time I looked Lieutenant." one of them winked at her. "My names Moran, this is Penn." they shook Mr Pelham's hand. "If you'll come with us? We have a carriage waiting."

"Thank you." Mrs Penn gushed to Taryn as they picked their way out of their home, Mr Pelham carrying Simon nodding as he passed her.

"Prior to Enterprise." Taryn stated and waited for a response. "Enterprise please respond?" she frowned.

" _This is Mission Ops._ " came a distracted reply.

"Request transport to Waterloo Station."

" _Can't help you Prior, we're under attack_ _and down to emergency power_."

"Bastion?"

" _All of my transport systems are currently offline._ "

"In that case can I trouble someone for some directions?" she asked hopefully.

" _Our Taryn practices free-running and gymnastics… Are you similarly skilled?"_ Bastion asked.

"I don't know, I practice both." she shrugged.

" _In that case, please exit the building via the bathroom window._ "

She reached up to the small high window, aided with a foot on a pipe and wriggled through before dropping out of sight onto a roof.

…

" _They're here._ " Emlyn froze, his features etched with concentration. Data looked around and what he suspected was horror shivered through every servo in his body at what he saw. A phalanx of Jem'Hadar twenty strong strode through, dodging the crowd towards the platform. They shimmered, just barely causing a ripple in their shrouds as they moved.

"Uh oh." Geordi swallowed hard. "Their mysterious friend gave them a genetic upgrade." he whispered as he watched them.

"Mr Rickman." Data reached out, lifted the man's lapel and touched his communicator. "Captain Data to all Federation personnel. The Jem'Hadar can now move while shrouded. I repeat, Jem'Hadar can move while invisible.

…

Taryn grasped the guttering and pulled herself up, praying it would hold her weight. It creaked and strained but held firm as she took off again, up a valley in the roof and over the ridge. She'd told Reg the soles on the feet of the suit needed additional padding and traction. He'd balked at the idea and she was glad she'd pressed the point as she sprinted full pelt across the rooftops. She heard a report and pain shot through her upper arm. It was a glancing blow, painful but it hadn't even damaged the robust fabric of her suit. She dropped below the roofline, rolling down the other side of the roof, landing on her back against a low parapet wall and drawing her phaser. She counted the foot-falls and fired as the shimmering figure sprang over the eaves. He unshrouded as he fell past her into an ally below.

She stood for a second peering down at the body. Her hair had fallen loose and was blowing around in the breeze, her breath quickened but by no means breathless, nostrils flaring. No, using a phaser wasn't as satisfying as spraying their brains all over the place with a pistol. She hoped to get the chance to kill one with a blade, or her bare hands. Yes, that would truly make her Orion blood sing Reg's name into the Dark Place, a song that would echo for all eternity in vengeance for his death.

A sound distracted her, a clipping of hooves. A smile spread over her face as she lithely climbed down to the alley below, pumping out pheromones with all her might.

The mounted policeman lifted his whistle to his lips on seeing the body but paused as Taryn sauntered towards him, a flush rising to his cheeks.

 _Author's note._

 _I do not own Lara Croft or Tomb Raider_


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

The hooves of the police horse sparked against the cobbles as she urged it with her heels, clattering through the busy streets towards Waterloo Station. As she drew stares from those she passed she realised if Geoff really was alive and a Temporal Agent in this timeline he'd tan her hide for this incursion, but she didn't care. Her blood screamed for vengeance and her twin was on that platform, along with a brother she had mourned for over a decade. She had to get to Waterloo Station.

At least she was moving faster on horseback than she had over the rooftops. The words to Chim Chim-eney had kept flashing into her mind, disrupting her focus.

" _Straight ahead at the next junction._ " Bastion advised her.

"If I don't get the chance later… Thank you for all your help today Bastion." she said with heartfelt sincerity.

" _My pleasure. Just make sure the mission succeeds._ "

…

"There are more than there were last time." Geordi whispered to Data.

"Indeed."

"Sir, I just got word that the Pelham's have been secured and Lieutenant Prior is on her way." the Security Officer, Rickman reported. "Also she's not been using the transporter rounds you issued." he added reluctantly.

"She has been killing them." Data confirmed, although it was a statement not a question.

"It's not like her to defy orders." Haydn commented as Data handed him a pistol.

"The Barclay from her timeline was killed in the attack." Geordi offered as an explanation. "She's not exactly at her most rational at the moment."

The thought was vague, a stray wandering from Emlyn's mind. It happened from time to time when he was nervous and lost focus momentarily. " _They should have sent more than twenty men if they expect to stop Taryn when she's angry._ "

"Can you contact the Commander LaForge on the train?" Data asked Rickman.

"No sir, something is blocking his communicator. We aren't sure what."

Data nodded. "Perhaps it is the remnants of the temporal lock imposed causing problems." Data signed his words as he spoke, for Emlyn's benefit. "Can you send a thought to the Geordi on the train Emlyn?"

" _I need line of sight._ " Emlyn replied. " _But there is something I can try._ _What's the message?_ "

Data signed the message using his hands, Emlyn nodded and stepped closer to Geordi. He placed his hand on his face and initiated a mind-meld. Geordi tensed but allowed him to probe his thoughts. He felt something, like a strand reaching out into the distance, searching…

…

"Why are we returning to London?" Bill Matthews asked as they sat on a train with his wife opposite.

"We are taking you to the Langham Hotel, it is the muster…" he stopped as Geordi leapt to his feet. "Are you alright Geordi?"

"I think I just…" Geordi whetted his lips. "I have to…" He reached up and pulled the emergency chain and the train lurched to a halt.

…

The Jem'Hadar broke ranks and several of the warriors jumped onto the tracks and ran towards the train. Geordi stayed on the platform, monitoring those who remained with Rickman and Emlyn while Data and Haydn ran after them down the track. Data pulled a grenade from each pocket and tossed one to Haydn.

"Activate and throw a head of them on my mark." Data told him. Haydn nodded, recognising the device and adjusted it in his right hand. Data in his left.

"Can you bowl a googly Data?" Haydn grinned as they ran.

"I have never played cricket, but I am familiar with the technique. Mark!" Data ordered and they loosed their grenades, bouncing along the margins of the track by the platform. An electric charge arced between the grenades as the warriors drew in line with it and became visible. They slowed, the charge was insufficient to stun them but it succeeded in breaking their shroud.

"Open fire!" Data ordered. His first bullet struck its target's back, he barely flinched as it unfolded against his tunic, a light blinked briefly and he was transported away. They kept firing, removing soldiers from the area as they moved closer.

…

"Get the shields back up! Scan for intruders!" Geoff ordered from Bastion's centre seat. "Prior to Enterprise, we have weapons and propulsion restored, how can we assist?"

" _Worf to Prior. Evade and fire!_ " Worf bellowed.

"Sounds like a plan. Mr Barnard, Mr Nog?"

…

"Who pulled the alarm?" the conductor demanded as he entered the carriage. Geordi punched him in the face.

"Geordi?" Data asked, his expression aghast. He looked up as something outside the carriage caught his eye. A woman on horseback approaching at speed and turning to ride alongside the train towards the station.

"Was that Taryn?" Geordi asked.

"Yes, and she looks extremely vexated."

Geordi grimaced and clutched his upper chest.

"Geordi?"

"I'm okay… I think." he stated as he steadied himself on the back of a seat. "I don't know how, or why, but it's really important we keep everyone on this train." he told Data confidentially.

Data frowned and leaned out of the window, peering forwards. "I can see why." he stated as he watched the fire-fight unfolding on the track ahead, and his older self-taking part in it. He looked back at Geordi. "Another temporal incursion is taking place."

…

" _We need to get him out of here!_ " Emlyn thought to Rickman as he put pressure on the bullet wound in Geordi's chest. They were taking cover behind a stack of trunks on the platform. " _He's bleeding out_."

"Wait." Geordi murmured and rummaged in his pocket. "You might need this, we've only got one and it's risky through the shields, but it'll get one of you to the Enterprise." he shoved the emergency transporter into Emlyn's hand.

"You need this more than us." Rickman stated and Emlyn nodded in agreement.

Geordi shook his head, "I kinda guessed this would be a one-way trip, at least for somebody."

" _Bollocks_." Emlyn thought and pressed the transporter to Geordi's arm.

…

"Get him to Sickbay!" Worf bellowed over the fray as almost as soon as Geordi materialised on the Bridge. The Enterprise rocked and bucked under the onslaught of the enemy ship. "Evasive pattern alpha!"

A Jem'Hadar corpse loomed large into the viewscreen and slid over the scanner another followed, and another. "Commander, the shuttle has been destroyed." the Officer at Ops called.

"Advise the Captain, the prisoners are lost." he ordered.

…

Taryn stepped down from the saddle while the horse was still in motion. She turned and slapped it hard on the rump, propelling it to canter away, probably towards it's stable. She drew her pistols, striding towards the Jem'Hadar at an angle that kept her out of the line of fire of Data and… It was really him, Haydn, and he was alive. A sob tried to escape from her chest but she choked it. She had work to do. She opened fire, taking their foe by surprise while they stood exposed on the track. One by one they fell until she ran out of bullets, and she holstered them. She ran towards the nearest corpse and drew the daggers from it's belt.

"Hold your fire." Data called to Haydn as she whirled between the Jem'Hadar, slicing and cutting, turning the blades in her hands to stab, thrust and defend herself as though she was born to it.

She could almost feel her Orion ancestors jeering in her blood as she fought. A line of Green Women trailing back centuries. Training their daughters and grand-daughters, almost from birth, each generation adding something to the art. " _We can't defeat a male with strength, but we have our glamour, our guile and a blade in our clothing if we need it._ " was the age-old wisdom, whispered in the ears of newborn Green daughters. It was the first lullaby they heard.

She heard it, almost as if in a dream through the green mist that surrounded her skin, through the adrenalin that fired her blood. A voice from someone's communicator in the distance. The shuttle was destroyed. She tossed the knife in her left hand, catching it by the bloodstained blade while barely looking at it and threw it into the neck of a Jem'Hadar as more enemies beamed into the area. She drew one of her pistols and ejected the clip as she tucked the remaining blade into her belt and drew another clip and slid it into place.

"Hold your breath, you fucking bastard." Taryn hissed as she fired, delight flashing in her eyes as the knarled warrior was beamed into space, followed by another and another.

…

"Now she decides to follow orders." Data exclaimed with a shake of his head.

"Wait, she hasn't spotted the bloke with the rifle." Haydn warned as he saw a Jem'Hadar beam in and take aim. Data drew a phaser from his jacket, set to kill and fired less than a second after the rifleman. The warrior fell at the same moment his bullet hit Taryn square in the chest. She dropped to the floor inert. "NO!" Haydn screamed, cast the pistol aside and ran towards the remaining warriors firing his phaser.

…

For Emlyn, ideas were a strange concept. Not the nature of thought or consciousness, that was easy for him to grasp but it was the origin of ideas that confused him. He was a walking antennae picking up a constant stream of thought and until he learned to control it, amplifying and rebroadcasting it to anyone he could see. As such he was never really certain whether his ideas were his own or picked up subconsciously in the tide of thought that assailed him.

After learning that control, and the fine tuning that enabled him to manipulate the thoughts of others in the same way his sister controlled her hormones he had to develop another skill.

Discretion. But even before that he was able to keep secrets.

He knew why Edara rejected him. It was in her mind as clear as a bell ringing. It wasn't his colouring, his resemblance to her lost Vulcan lover or any of the reasons his family and friends speculated.

" _Monster_." The word echoed in her mind, she was repulsed by him. The thoughts he sent to her terrified her. To be honest they terrified him, and until recently he didn't know the source. The craving, the lust for blood and flesh. The pain and torment of others since the beginning of time that screamed to be set free, to control the body it occupied. It was Multitude in her courtier, later imprisoned in his twin and even as an infant he had tried to warn the only person he knew would understand. The one whose mind was full of the old stories of the Fourth Kind, the lost Orion species that parasitically inhabited the bodies of others.

Edara had never experienced telepathy before. She misinterpreted what his newborn mind had tried to communicate and now… Multitude was gone and now she understood, saw him with different eyes only now they were veiled with guilt that rended her soul and continued to come between them.

As he cowered behind a stack of cases while Rickman returned fire vaguely in the direction of assailants they couldn't see, bullets flying around him he knew the source of this idea, he recognised the voice. The Geordi on the ship was screaming it in his mind and it was being relayed by the Geordi on the train he still felt the remnants of his connection to. " _Find the sniper Emlyn!_ " He pushed away his own fear along with that of the innocent people caught in the firefight and focused.

"We need to move." Rickman told him, but he barely heard. He sat impassive with his eyes glazed as he peered through a gap in the cases at a vague distortion near a pillar. "Emlyn? Are you hit?" the officer swore and continued firing.

…

Emlyn looked at his hands, they were scaled and he held a pistol. " _No, not the right weapon or vantage point_." he realised as he looked around. He also realised the Jem'Hadar had vision capable of seeing through their own camouflage as he surveyed the scene, making the most of this advantage. He selected another enemy, held the pistol to his head and fired. The next man had a better view, three options lay ahead, no…. He picked up a stray thought. "Wind shear." Someone in this man's eyeline was worried about the wind through the platform diverting his shot. He looked up and saw him, perched among the rafters.

…

Rickman's eyes widened as a series of reports sounded and one by one the aliens on the platform shimmered into view and fell. He looked up and saw a warrior with a rifle shooting his comrades from a sniper nest, until there were no more and he placed the barrel under his own chin and fired. "Did you do that?" Rickman asked Emlyn beside him. The hybrid nodded, a broad smile spreading across his Vulcan features. "Next time let me know. I thought you were catatonic or something!"

…

She was having the weirdest dream, everything was dark and she could hear people talking. Data, Geordi, some voices she didn't recognise and Haydn.

"I have a pulse, she is breathing again." Data stated from somewhere near her head.

"I've never seen anything like it." a woman commented. "Is it because she's… you know…"

"A blow to the chest above the cardiac muscle can interrupt the electrical impulses that control it's contractions in many humanoid life forms." Data explained from beside her.

"And you made her heart beat again by hitting her?" she asked.

"Technically it never stopped beating, it was in a pattern of fibrillation known as commotio cordis." the Data by her head added.

"The blow is called a precordial thump. It has limited effect but I am able to deliver it more precisely than an organic being could. As we currently have no other method of defibrillation our options were non-existent."

"I've learned so much from you Data, more than I learned training as a nurse." Lizzie Matthews replied.

"What happened…?" Taryn murmured.

"You did what you always warn me about Shrimp, you lost your rag and lost focus in a fight." Haydn spat. "If that… what the hell are you wearing? You have a camel toe. It's disgusting!" She through her arms around his neck.

"Oh, God it's true! You're alive and you're still the biggest arsehole in creation." she wept on her brother's shoulder.

"You're bloody lucky that fetish suit is bullet proof Shrimp." Haydn grinned as he hugged his sister. "God help us with two of you in the same universe."

"I didn't think it was bulletproof." she looked down at her chest. A flattened bullet was embedded in the fabric above her sternum. "Reg must've added another layer and not told me." she looked away. Pain etched on her pretty features.

"Data told me about your Reg, I'm so sorry…" Haydn said as Emlyn and Rickman joined them, along with back up to escort the Matthews to the hotel.

"We should get you to Sickbay." the older Data suggested after they had said their goodbyes.

"Indeed, while it is unlikely you suffered permanent damage we should ensure…" the other Data added.

"Stop it you two. Sheesh, you're fussing in stereo." Taryn said as she stood, "Although I think I have the mother of all bruises and maybe popped a couple of ribs out of my sternum." she winced and rubbed her chest.

"That will be the concussive force…" younger Data started then stopped under her withering stare. Her expression changed and she tilted her head as she appraised him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No I just.. I didn't expect you to look so young." she touched his cheek gently and gave the older Data a wide-eyed grin.

"Behave yourself, you are a married woman." he warned her. "Where is Geordi? Our Geordi." he clarified.

"He got shot I think." Geordi stated, also rubbing his upper chest, "I don't know what you did Emlyn but it was really freaky."

Emlyn smiled apologetically and rubbed his fist in a circle in the centre of his chest as well as thinking "Sorry."

"He was bleeding pretty bad, he had an emergency transport button so we evacuated him with it." Rickman explained.

"Good, we should return to the Enterprise also." Data Senior added and touched his communicator. "Data to Enterprise." he waited for a response. The response was broken up.

"…Captain…..minimal power…shields gone….." Worf reported. "….oday is a good day to die Captain…It has… an honour."

"Oh shit, he's gone all…. Klingon." Taryn exclaimed. "This is bad."

"Bastion, do you have transport capability? We need to return to the Enterprise." Data asked desperately.

" _I am also on emergency power,_ " Bastion responded, " _but I do have another suggestion…._ "

…

" _Thirty seconds._ " Bastion reminded.

"Will the transfer be complete?" she asked as she checked the port on the younger Data's scalp. "Is there enough time?"

"It has finished." Data stated and removed the lead he had brought with him from his own head. "Can you access the file?" he asked himself while Taryn and Geordi replaced the panels behind their ears.

He turned his head slightly. "I am getting a file compatibility error." he replied.

"I was afraid of this. Behaviourally my Data was so different… he's from another universe, there are bound to be incompatibilities in file structure." Taryn stated.

"Perhaps after study and analysis, conversion may be possible." Young Data suggested. "I will download the file to the ships computer and endeavour to recover your experiences of the divergent timelines."

" _Twenty seconds_."

"Anything that really can't wait you'd better tell him now." Taryn suggested as slid back the cocking mechanism on her pistol.

Data stepped closer to his younger self and whispered in his ear. His eyes widened as he listened and he nodded in unison with himself as they parted.

" _Ten seconds._ "

The older Data hugged Taryn tightly. "Whatever happens, it will not be your responsibility." he told her.

"You just remember you're going back to save the day, not go down with the ship." she whispered into his shoulder before pulling away and adjusting his tie or maladjusting it to be precise. She realised it was habit, she'd always moved one of his pips a millimetre out of line since the day she met him. Eventually she'd told him perfection wasn't all it was cracked up to be and he needed to relax. He'd replied that she seemed perfect, and would she like to show him how to relax over dinner.

"Geordi." he nodded at his friend.

"Good luck Data." Geordi told him. "Not that you need luck."

"Ready?" Taryn asked as Bastion counted down.

"I am leaving her in your care." Data said to his younger self. "Ensure she receives medical treatment at the earliest opportunity."

"What am I? A cat?" Taryn asked as she took aim. "If you're trying to make it easier for me to shoot you it's working."

"It is not every day a girl gets to shoot her former husband." Data smirked.

She paused. "That's the first time you've actually sounded like my Data…. I really did love him…"

"I know." Data replied earnestly. "I will see you soon, on the Enterprise." he assured her as Bastion reached the number one.

" _Mark._ " She fired into Data's chest and the transporter round unfolded before he shimmered out of sight.

"Did he say former husband?" Geordi asked her with a frown.

"Technically current husband." Taryn replied.

"But I thought you and Reg… God, please tell me this wasn't some weird three-way thing?"

"Actually, it was a four-way thing. Reg was married too… Oh you mean…" she said at his expression. "No no no, there was no…group boinking or anything." Taryn clarified.

"Boinking?" Data asked.

"I'll explain later." Geordi told him.

…

Data drifted in orbit, he'd known precisely the odds of success to two thousand decimal places and they were far from good. His orbit was starting to decay, he could feel the pull of gravity against his skin. He had no way of making contact with anyone. In space, no one can hear you scream was something Taryn was fond of saying. He had in fact watched the movie it referred to before he had met her. He found it a somewhat unrealistic portrayal of space travel but in spite of this he had considered naming Spot Jones for two point three millionths of a nano second. People frequently asked him why he gave his cat a name usually ascribed to a dog. The short answer was he had been the runt of the litter and was extremely small as a kitten, but also it simply amused him to see the expression on people's faces when he told them his pets name. Finally, in this body he was able to both realise this fact and articulate it.

He had missed the Enterprise by millimetres. It was no one's fault. Bastion had calculated its path would coincide with the coordinates of the destroyed shuttle, close enough to grasp something on the hull and make his way to an airlock but it had shifted from its trajectory due to a blast from the Jem'Hadar fighter. He had seen it himself. It was quite a firefight and it was still raging. The Enterprise was in pieces and Bastion was faring little better. It had been a good idea on Bastion's part. An idea to be proud of and in this body he was so proud of the ship that had selected him as a father figure.

Data rarely thought about death. He thought about being destroyed or breaking down, his version of dwelling on his own mortality he supposed, but rarely about death as a concept. He had always assumed he was exempt by reason of his artificial nature. Taryn had made him reconsider this. While they were at Daystrom still trying to unravel the Gordian knot in B4's head she had said something that had touched him, and as the Oracle of the Prophets she had reminded him of it once more. The first law of thermodynamics was a concept she applied to the mystical spark which was 'life' and added that he was loved, and how could a being loved by so many _not_ be in possession of a soul.

He'd never expected to slowly burn up on re-entry like a disused satellite in the 19th century. That took him completely by surprise.

In space no one could hear him scream, and no one could hear his solution to the problem of the interphasic torpedoes that had occurred to him three thousandths of a second after the transport had initiated.

 _Author's note:_

 _Apologies this chapter took so long coming. I had to read the previous chapters to be sure of the continuity and only this week have I felt well enough to sit and type._

 _As you may guess there is one more chapter to come plus an epilogue which is half written and I hope to have posted in the next two weeks. The sequel to this story is around two thirds complete already so I'm excited to get this one finished and start posting the next. No I havent forgotten Hollow Victories either. That will also continue soon._

 _In case you were wondering Rickman was of course named after Alan Rickman who sadly died around the time I was coming up with names for my redshirts. I gave him the first name David in honour of David Bowie._

 _I've also been playing with a story based on the R.E.D. movies while I've been ill. It's very much a WIP but I may post it at some point._

 _Thank you so much for bearing with me._

 _Oh and of course I don't own any of the songs from Mary Poppins or anything from the Alien Trilogy._


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